“All of us living in this solemn hour, we are witnesses of an important event in our constitutional evolution that will surely be marked and commemorated in the history of our nation.” Fifty years after Sir Anthony Mamo uttered these words in his first address as the first President of the Republic of Malta, Heritage Malta is doing exactly what he predicted – marking and commemorating that fateful date of December 13, 1974 as well as the most significant moments preceding and succeeding it – through the exhibition The Republic of Malta, The First Fifty Years 1974-2024 at the Grand Master’s Palace.

Fifty years ago, the State of Malta accomplished its metamorphosis into a res publica. For the first time, all public offices were appointed directly or indirectly by the people of Malta and Gozo, and more importantly, they became answerable to the same people. The journey was nothing short of exasperating, but the islanders’ resilience prevailed all along.

The exhibition traces a detailed timeline starting with the first evidence of a longing for self-rule amongst the Maltese – their uprising against the tyrannical Gonsalvo Monroy. Their wish to manage their own affairs was granted by King Alfonso V on June 20, 1428, with the Magna Carta Libertatis. In 1530, Charles V rendered the Magna Carta null and void, when the Maltese Islands were offered to the Order of St John. The Maltese were betrayed, and although the Knights ruled these islands for 268 years, the yearning for self-determination never waned.

Prime Minister Dom Mintoff taking the oath of allegiance to the Republic.

Following the two years of turbulent French rule, in 1800 the aspirations of the Maltese for self-determination were brushed aside yet again and Malta became a British protectorate with no say in local matters. Thirteen years later, a Constitution was granted with which Malta was declared a crown colony – another significant setback. The dream of self-government, which had seemed so near 13 years prior, was slowly and agonisingly fading away with the death knell being the Treaty of Paris in 1814, later confirmed by the Congress of Vienna in 1815. It would take an arduous journey of 159 years to get to the declaration of Malta as a Republic.

The exhibition also describes how one of the first actions of the new Government in 1971 was to discuss the Defence Agreement with Britain, which had been reached in 1964. A new agreement was signed in 1972 which specified that British forces could only use Malta as a military base until 1979. The Government and the Opposition held confidential talks for the Independence Constitution to be amended, so that Malta could become a Republic. The last Governor General, Sir Anthony Mamo, became the first President of Malta on December 13, 1974.

Visitors of the exhibition will gain insight into major constitutional amendments introduced in the past fifty years, including those unanimously approved by Parliament on July 29, 2020 requiring the President to be elected by a two-thirds majority.

The determining role of the President in the three pillars of government – legislative, executive, and judiciary – also features prominently in the exhibition, as does the President’s role in the fields of diplomacy, bestowing of national honours, charitable work, maintaining contact with the Maltese diaspora, and, above all, national unity.

The exhibition presents all these facts not just through information panels but also by means of footage as well as many artefacts and related historical documents.

Visit ‘The Republic of Malta, The First Fifty Years 1974-2024’ until the end of March 2025 on the first floor of the Grand Master’s Palace, open every day from 09:00 till 17:00 (last admission at 16:30). The Palace will be closed on December 20, 24, 25 and 31, as well as January 1.