20 Facts About Alfred Sant

Alfred Sant led the Labour Party from 1992 to 2008 and served as Prime Minister of Malta between 1996 and 1998 and as Leader of the Opposition from 1992 to 1996 and from 1998 to 2008.

Alfred Sant graduated from the University of Malta as Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics in 1967 and as Master of Science in Physics in the following year.

Alfred Sant studied public administration in 1970 at the Institut International d'Administration Publique of the Ecole Nationale d'Administration in Paris.

Alfred Sant served as second, and then first secretary at the Mission of Malta to the European Communities in Brussels between 1970 and 1975 when he resigned to undertake full-time studies in the USA.

Alfred Sant completed a Master of Business Management from Boston University Graduate School of Management in 1976 and graduated a Doctor of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1979.

Alfred Sant returned to the public sector in 1980 as executive deputy chairman with the Malta Development Corporation.

Alfred Sant first stood for election in 1987; although he was unsuccessful, he was co-opted to Parliament later that year.

The Labour Party won the October 1996 elections under Alfred Sant who campaigned for the removal of the Value Added Tax that had been introduced in 1995 as an unpopular but required step towards EU accession.

Alfred Sant felt that the government's parliamentary majority was compromised and asked the President to dissolve the House.

Alfred Sant stayed on as leader of the opposition and campaigned against Malta's accession into the European Union.

Alfred Sant called on Labour supporters to either vote No, abstain or invalidate their vote.

Alfred Sant did stand for election for Party leader again which was contested by two other candidates for the post, John Attard Montalto and Angelo Farrugia.

At the 2008 Maltese general election Alfred Sant was defeated for the third consecutive time, this time by Lawrence Gonzi, on a slim margin of only 1,580 votes.

Alfred Sant announced that he would stand as a Labour Party candidate in the 2014 European Parliament election, despite his previous opposition to EU membership for Malta.

Alfred Sant received 48,739 votes, which elected him outright, acquiring more votes than any other candidate.

Alfred Sant was re-elected in 2019 but decided not to stand for re-election in 2024.

Alfred Sant is an established and prolific novelist, short story writer and playwright.

Alfred Sant's published works include plays, short stories, novels, and non-fiction.

Alfred Sant edited Tomorrow, a monthly English-language magazine, and of Society, a quarterly opinion magazine, apart from authoring numerous articles.

Alfred Sant contributed regularly to the General Workers' Union's Sunday Maltese-language newspaper It-Torca until March 2008.