PL recalls Dom Mintoff on the 109th anniversary of his birth
Mintoff led the Labour Party from 1949 to 1984
The Labour Party's administration on Wednesday laid flowers at the foot of Dom Mintoff's monument in Cospicua to mark the 109th anniversary of his birth.
Mintoff was first elected in 1947 and served as leader of the party between 1949 and 1984. He was prime minister between 1955 and 1958 and 1971 and 1984.
The PL praised him for his commitment to socialism and social initiatives, saying he played a key role in Malta's economic growth and modernisation. He also achieved 'full freedom' for Malta with the closure of the British military base in 1979.
Flowers were laid at the foot of the memorial by Prime Minister Robert Abela, accompanied by ministers and party officials.
Political observers also remember Mintoff for his fiery, confrontational and often divisive style, causing him to split from his predecessor Paul Boffa in 1949 and then breaking away from one of his successors, Alfred Sant in 1998. Both splits led to defeats for Labour in the following general elections. Mintoff spent his last years in a political wilderness but reconciled with Labour before his death on August 20, 2012, aged 96.