This is how Malta’s parliament looks like

Malta's new parliament has been finalised following the conclusion of casual elections and the activation of the gender corrective mechanism, resulting in a House of Representatives comprising 79 MPs, including a record 27 women.

The Labour Party will hold 42 seats in parliament, while the Nationalist Party will occupy 37 seats.

The government tally includes Carmelo Abela, who is expected to be elected Speaker of the House when parliament convenes. Abela will vacate his 3 seat, with his replacement yet to be determined through a casual election.

A total of 12 women entered parliament through the gender corrective mechanism, which is triggered when the underrepresented sex accounts for less than 40% of elected MPs. The mechanism allows for up to six additional seats per party to improve gender balance in the House.

The latest composition means women now make up 27 of parliament's 79 members, representing the highest level of female representation since Malta gained independence.

The casual elections, held following the 30 May general election, filled seats vacated by candidates elected from more than one district. Once these contests were concluded, electoral authorities applied the gender corrective mechanism to determine which additional female candidates would enter parliament.

The new legislature will see the Labour Party maintain its parliamentary majority, while the Nationalist Party strengthens its opposition benches with a larger parliamentary group than in the previous legislature.

Parliament is expected to hold its first sitting on Saturday, during which MPs will be sworn in and a new Speaker elected. Carmelo Abela, a veteran Labour politician and former deputy speaker, has been nominated by Prime Minister Robert Abela to take on the role, succeeding Anglu Farrugia.

The final composition of the House marks another test of Malta's gender corrective mechanism, introduced in 2021 and first used following the 2022 general election.

Supporters argue the measure has significantly increased female representation in parliament, while critics have questioned the expansion of parliamentary seats and the exclusion of smaller parties from the mechanism.