Opposition MP Eve Borg Bonello believes that Malta's part-time parliament is keeping many young people and women from contesting elections as candidates. She told The Malta Independent that a full-time parliament, coupled with more resources, could entice more youths and women to join Malta's political arena.

"I have always been a massive supporter of a full-time parliament, more resources, and a system that makes more sense," Borg Bonello said.

In an interview with this newsroom, the PN MP stated that the nature of the Parliament of Malta today - with it functioning on a part-time basis, with only ministers having the resources to carry out work "at the most professional level," and with its working hours - is structurally keeping young people and women away from contesting general elections and eyeing a seat within the House of Representatives.

When active, the Parliament of Malta holds its plenaries every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Plenary sessions start at 4pm in the afternoon and typically run until around 7pm.

Borg Bonello said that its nature "presents considerations that maybe other people don't have to consider." She observed that the prospect of becoming an elected Member of Parliament (MP) does not align with the lifestyles of young people just starting their professional careers or with women who envision starting a family in the near future. Hence, she believes that converting the Maltese Parliament to a full-time commitment "would make more young people interested" in participating themselves as potential candidates come election time.

In addition, she said that allocating "the right resources" to both MPs and the Maltese Parliament itself "could really bring it to the next level."

Acknowledging that support for a full-time parliament "may be controversial," Borg Bonello entertained the idea for Malta to consider a hybrid model where elected MPs could opt in (or opt out) to full-time hours.

To make Parliament more inviting to women, the young Opposition MP thinks that this institution should "reach the standards of modern workplaces" and embody all the values being preached by MPs over the years. For example, she noted that MPs have been calling for Parliament to introduce child-minding services for several legislatures.

On this, she shared that she was impressed after, upon being named the new Speaker of the House, Carmelo Abela distributed a questionnaire to all MPs which asked them if they have any children, if they see themselves needing child-minding services there, and what they would like to see out these services if implemented.

Borg Bonello remarked that while she sees the benefit in "breaking the initial glass ceiling and making society more comfortable with more women in such positions" though incentives like the gender corrective mechanism, she feels that such measures could feel "a bit shallow" if systematic changes are not instated to reduce women's barriers of entry into national politics.

Borg Bonello is not the first modern politician to call for Parliament to become a full-time commitment. From the same Opposition benches, PN MP Mark Anthony Sammut has recently been vocal about his belief that Parliament should become a full-time practice.

Similarly, ADPD leader Sandra Gauci had told this newsroom earlier this August that elected MPs should carry out their public service within Parliament on a full-time basis as one of several things that need to be undertaken for Maltese politics to be more inviting towards women to list their names on election ballots. She had argued that women still bear the brunt of their families, and that she would have never entered politics if her two children were any younger.

On the subject of women in politics, Borg Bonello doesn't think "it would be too long ahead" before one of Malta's two major parties - the Labour Party (PL) and the Nationalist Party (PN) - has a woman elected as its leader. She said that her generation grew up hearing many "inspiring stories" and that Malta already has "so many capable women" in politics, at national, European, and at council level.

"I think our political system rewards the people with the highest potential. I don't think men or women have a monopoly over that," she said.

People pushed back against gender quota 'because they felt like a decision was being imposed on them'

Borg Bonello said that she isn't a fan of Malta's gender corrective mechanism, commonly referred to as the gender quota, noting how she's been "very vocal about it not being [her] favourite."

When interviewed by this newsroom in January 2024, the Opposition MP had already expressed that she is openly against the gender-balancing mechanism. Back then, she was serving as a first-time MP after being elected through the gender quota.

This time round, Borg Bonello spoke to The Malta Independent after being elected on her own steam this May, yet her opinion on the gender quota has remained consistent.

She said that in this year's general election, she felt that "the results spoke for themselves, that people pushed back against it because they felt like a decision was being imposed on them. And I feel like that ended up working out against women."

The PN MP acknowledged that the 2026 general election saw more women elected organically, i.e., not through casual elections or the gender corrective mechanism, as the prior general election in 2022 saw Graziella Galea as the only woman elected organically from the Opposition benches.

Malta's gender corrective mechanism dictates that a maximum of 12 additional seats (MPs) is added to Parliament's composition should any gender be underrepresented following initial election results. Rather than pressuring parties to field a balanced list of candidates on their respective ballots, vis-à-vis men and women, Malta's gender quota boosts the proportion of the underrepresented gender retroactively if any gender forms less than 40% of the seats in Parliament. If such is the case, extra parliamentary seats are added to boost the underrepresented gender (typically women) to either make up 40% of the House or stop at 12 extra seats.

Borg Bonello told this newsroom that she would prefer if Malta's gender quota called upon contesting political parties to not field a gender-imbalanced ballot of candidates. She shared similar sentiments on parties finding youth candidates instead of installing an age quota - which is a measure being discussed sporadically in the Council of Europe.

"I always prefer equality of opportunity over equality of outcome," she said, "I do feel like having women in parliament is up to the parties to not only find more women candidates but really invest in structures to renew and consider finding young people."

"I'm much more comfortable with it being a responsibility parties come to reason with rather than a final imposition; a political opportunity versus outcome," the PN MP stated.

Earlier this June, former Maltese MEP Marlene Mizzi called for the gender corrective mechanism to be altered so that MPs previously elected through this means are barred from being elected in the same way in future general elections. Her statement was motivated by three female MPs - Bernice Bonello, Julie Zahra, and Cressida Galea - being elected via the gender quota for a second consecutive general election, i.e., two-for-two since it was introduced.

When asked about her opinion on this, Opposition MP Borg Bonello first noted that Mizzi, as one of Malta's first female MEPs, surely understands the struggles that women may face to enter politics. She followed up by saying that, firstly, "you can't put everyone in the same box," and secondly, that "we have to ask ourselves if the quota works in terms of results or in actually retaining a long-term impact in politics."

In her view, the entire gender quota debate is "very shallow" if the country continues to speak about it in the context of "a part-time parliament with very limited resources and a system that doesn't incentivise participation at the highest levels."

While speaking about this subject, Borg Bonello stated that despite being elected outright this time, she still often faces questions about the gender quota or what it's like being a woman in politics. She admitted that the repetition of such questions and discourse - even when these questions are valid and feature no bad intent - worries her that "we're continuing to contribute to a culture where we see it as something exceptional rather than something that should be the norm," especially since none of her male counterparts are ever asked what it's like being a man in politics.

'I do believe things are getting much better,' Borg Bonello on state of the PN

Asked about the state of the Nationalist Party following this year's election defeat, Borg Bonello cited how the PN effectively reduced the gap between it and Labour Party by half since the previous general election.

She mentioned that since becoming PN leader, "Alex Borg has achieved so much in such a short time." Borg Bonello also spoke about the PN's momentum in spite of its electoral defeat just a few months ago.

"I am certain that with the right hard work, with the right approach, with the right passion, with all the right elements that have been present these past few months, we could do so much more. I am confident that we have an excellent team to do it," she said.

Stating that the party's situation is improving, the PN Shadow Minister said that this goes beyond opinion polls. She told this newsroom that many people are reaching out to her with their ideas on a daily basis, "and people only reach out with their ideas when they believe you're going to listen and do something about it. If they thought that they'd be reaching out for nothing, they wouldn't be reaching out."

"I think we have all the ingredients, all the tools, we just have to really keep the same momentum throughout the five years," Borg Bonello said.