Prime Minister Joseph Muscat today paid tribute in Cospicua to former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff on the hundred and first anniversary of his birthday.
The former leader of the Malta Labour Party, who served two terms as Prime Minister (1955-58; 1971-84), also held a seat in parliament uninterruptedly from 1947 to 1998.
Mr Mintoff's eventual primary political ethos was that of securing peace and stability in Europe and the Mediterranean, the Department of Information said.
"During his tenure as Prime Minister, Mr Mintoff aggressively proclaimed Malta’s sovereignty, and posed financial and other demands to the British and NATO which led to a 1972 treaty with Britain that stipulated a phasing out of dependency on British military expenditure and the freeing of Malta from foreign military bases by March 1979.
"Mr Mintoff also amended Malta’s constitution to transform the country from a monarchy into a republic; the new constitutional provisions enhanced human rights and introduced electoral safeguards."