It was disappointing that half of the population was not adequately represented in Parliament, and the government will soon start discussing the introduction of gender quotas with the Opposition, Joseph Muscat said this morning.

Speaking during a brief phone interview on One radio, the Prime Minister referred to yesterday’s election of Labour’s new deputy leader for parliamentary affairs Chris Fearne.

The party had been spoilt for choice, Dr Muscat noted, adding that all three candidates - Dr Fearne, Helena Dalli and Edward Scicluna - had “exceptional attributes”.

The Prime Minister said that the next step was to do something about the low number of female candidates elected to Parliament, which, he added, was quite disappointing.

Half of the population did not have adequate representation in Parliament and Dr Muscat said the government would be discussing electoral quotas with the Opposition, saying that the measure could be implemented during this legislature.

In the meantime, the PL would also encourage young women to add their name to PL’s ballot sheet, in a bid to have an equal amount of male and female candidates by 2027.

Insisting on the need of a culture change, Dr Muscat said that the following general election could feature two key changes: gender quotas and 16-year-old voters.

Dr Muscat also referred to the legalisation of gay marriage. On Wednesday, the Marriage Equality Bill was approved by Parliament with only one vote against. Dr Muscat said that once, again, Malta had been internationally described as a beacon of hope.