People's Party (Malta)

The People's Party was founded on 2nd June 1895 by Sigismondo Savona, formerly the leader of the Unionist Party and of the Reform Party.[3] Other political figures involved in the Party’s founding were Canon Ignazio Panzavecchia, Giuseppe Bonavia, Cesare Darmanin, Giovanni Vassallo, Antonio Dalli, Dr Andrea Pullicino and Dr Ernesto Manara. Only Bonavia, Darmanin and Vassallo had previously been supporters of Savona, while Manara had previously been a conspicuous critic.[4]

The 1895 election was won by the PN and Panzavecchia was defeated by the PN’s Mgr. Alfredo Mifsud as an ecclesiastical representative.[5] However, this election proved the PP to be a prominent political force since it challenged the PN’s power especially when Sigismondo Savona led the poll amongst common electors. The main reasons behind the Party’s rapid rise were due to Savona’s stance on taxation and his ultra-nationalist views with regards the Maltese language and Malta’s nationhood. In contrast with Fortunato Mizzi and the PN, Savona was able to identify with the Maltese speaking population who did not speak neither English nor Italian. In fact, Savona clashed with the Chamber of Advocates when in 1896 he proposed the Maltese language to be used in the law courts.[6]

The Party acted independently between its founding in 1895 and Savona’s retirement from politics in 1898, after which, under the leadership of Panzavecchia, its adherents gradually came to operate mostly in conjunction with the Partito Nazionale in elections and within the Council of Government, especially after Panzavecchia emerged as the leader of the combined movement in 1910.[7] Following the granting of the 1921 Constitution, Panzavecchia would form the Unione Politica Maltese, and his list would include former P.P. adherents, including Antonio Dalli. That Party would win the largest number of seats in Malta’s first Parliament in 1921.

The Party’s support came largely from the working class, and Panzavecchia’s hometown, Senglea, was considered to be a P.P. stronghold.[8]