President of the Republic
Born in Żabbar, the daughter of Giuseppe Barbara and Antonia née Agius, Agatha worked with the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) and as a supervisor in the victory kitchen during the war (1940-1942). She later joined the education department as a teacher (1942-1947).
In 1946 Barbara entered politics and a year later was elected at the general elections with the Labour Party to become the first female member of the Legislative Assembly. She supported Dom Mintoff during the party split in 1949 and was elected in all general elections held between 1950 and 1981.
Barbara holds the record as the woman who contested and was elected in ten consecutive elections, enjoying a parliamentary seat from November 1947 to February 1982. She always contested the 2nd or 3rd electoral division with these results: 1947 (2,715 fpv), 1950 (1,810), 1951 (2,623), 1953 (2,847), 1955 (2,541), 1962 (2,564), 1966 (2,599), 1971 (1,914),1976 (2,258), 1981 (2,558).
In 1955 Agatha Barbara was the first woman to be given a cabinet portfolio when she was appointed minister for education.
In 1958 relations between the British and the Maltese deteriorated. Protests erupted in the streets and Mintoff resigned. Barbara participated in the demonstrations and in picketing during the one-day national strike in April 1958 in protest against the suspension of the constitution by the British government. She was sentenced to 43 days ‘with hard labour’.
When Mintoff came to power again in 1971, Agatha Barbara was appointed minister of education again. Compulsory basic education was extended from the age of 14 to 16, trade and technical schools were established and university fees were abolished. In 1961 she founded and was the first president of the MLP women’s section.
In 1971 Barbara was again given the duties as minister of education and culture. In 1974 she was entrusted with the portfolio of minister of labour, culture, and welfare and also acted as deputy prime minister on various occasions.
Barbara made history when she was chosen as the third president of Malta on 16 February 1982.
In 1981 elections led to a constitutional crisis because the PN won a majority of the votes, but only got a minority in parliament: 31 seats against 34 for MLP. PN boycotted parliament and organised protests. Nevertheless, Mintoff formed a government.
While the role of president was usually ceremonial, Barbara's term was characterised by the constitutional crisis and she hosted tasks between the parties in an effort to address the situation, amend the constitution, and avoid further deterioration.
On 15 February 1987 her term expired and she withdrew from politics.
Agatha Barbara appeared on a series of Maltese banknotes which were issued in 1986.
In 1983 she was honoured with the Stara Planina by the state council of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, and later decorated with a doctorate of philosophy in pedagogy (honoris causa) by the University of Beijing, China. In 1990, she was made companion of honour of the National Order of Merit (KUOM).
She died at her residence in Żabbar and was buried at the Żabbar Cemetery.
President Eddie Fenech Adami inaugurated a bronze monument of Barbara at her home town in Żabbar on 23 April 2006.
This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.