At stake in this Referendum:

• A referendum to make divorce legal. Malta is the only European country where divorce is illegal.

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President George ABELA
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Lawrence GONZI
• Assembly: Malta has a unicameral House of Representatives (Il-Kamra Tad-Deputati) with 65 seats. ***

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by parliament to serve a 5-year term.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the President to serve a 5-year term.
• In the House of Representatives (Il-Kamra Tad-Deputati) 65 members are elected through a single transferable vote (STV) proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms.***

*** Additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority.

Main provisions in the Referendum:

• Do you agree with having the option of having divorce for married couples who have been separated for four years when there is no reasonable hope for reconciliation and when adequate maintenance is guaranteed and the children are cared for? 
  Taqbel mal-introduzzjoni tal-għażla tad-divorzju f’każ ta’ koppja miżżewġa li tkun ilha separata jew tkun ilha ma tgħix flimkien għal mill-anqas erba' (4) snin, u meta ma jkun hemm l-ebda tama raġjonevoli ta’ rikonċiljazzjoni bejn il-miżżewġin, filwaqt li jkun garantit manteniment adegwat u jkunu mħarsa t-tfal?

Electoral Requirements

• An absolute majority of electors must vote "Yes". The referendum is non-binding; parliament would still be required to pass a new law.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 416,268 (2011)
• Registered Voters: 315,357 (March 2008)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 209,346 (2011)

·         Is Malta a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Malta ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (8 March 1991)

·         Gender Quota: No, but some political parties have adopted gender quotas

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 6 (following the 2008 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 37 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Malta a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Malta ratified CRPD: Yes (10 October 2012)

·         Population with a disability: 62,440 (est.)