Editing Politics of Malta (section)

==Executive branch==
Under its 1964 constitution, Malta became a [[parliamentary democracy]] within the Commonwealth. Queen [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom]] was sovereign of Malta, and a [[governor-general]] exercised executive authority on her behalf, while the actual direction and control of the government and the nation's affairs were in the hands of the cabinet under the leadership of a Maltese prime minister.

On December 13, 1974, the constitution was revised, and Malta became a republic within the Commonwealth, with executive authority vested in the [[president of Malta]], which can be exercised directly or through officers subordinate to him. The president is elected by the House of Representatives for a five-year term. They appoint as prime minister the leader of the party with a majority of seats in the [[unicameral]] House of Representatives, known in Maltese as ''Kamra tar-Rappreżentanti''.
[[File:Malta Attard San Anton Palace BW 2011-10-09 10-06-16.jpg|thumb|[[San Anton Palace]] in [[Attard]] serves as the official residence of the president of Malta]]
The president also nominally appoints, upon recommendation of the prime minister, the individual ministers. Ministers are selected from among the members of the House of Representatives, which usually consists of 65 members unless bonus seats are given to a party which gains an absolute majority of votes but not a parliamentary majority. Elections must be held at least every five years and the electoral system used is [[single transferable vote]].

===Administrative divisions===
Malta is divided into 68 elected [[Local councils of Malta|local councils]], with each council responsible for the administration of cities or regions of varying sizes. Administrative responsibility is distributed between the local councils and the central government in Valletta. The [[Local Councils Act, 1993]] (Act XV of 1993), was published on June 30, 1993, subdividing Malta into 54 local councils in Malta and 14 in [[Gozo]]. The inhabitants who are registered elect the Council every three years, as voters in the [[Local Councils' Electoral Register]]. Elections are held by means of the system of proportional representation using the single transferable vote. The mayor is the head of the Local Council and the representative of the Council for all effects under the Act. The executive secretary, who is appointed by the Council, is the executive, administrative, and financial head of the Council. All decisions are taken collectively with the other members of the Council. Local councils are responsible for the general upkeep and embellishment of the locality, local wardens, and refuse collection, and carry out general administrative duties for the central government such as collection of government rents and funds, and answering government-related public inquiries.

There are also Administrative Committees elected with responsibility for smaller regions.