Electoral participation in microstates : the case of postwar Malta

Abstract

In recent years there has been a significant increase in the publication of literature on subjects dealing with problems, characteristics and policies of microstates. This study attempts to contribute to this emerging discipline by studying the electoral participation of a particular microstate, Malta. A microstate is a state with a population of less than one million. Statistics show that there are 61 countries with a population under one million, and these have 0.3% of the total world population and 3% of the total world living area. Some authors define microstates as those with a maximum surface area of 50 sq.m. According to the World Development Report of the World Bank, there are forty-five countries with population less than one million and with a surface area of less than 500 sq. miles. Most of these microstates emerged from the decolonization process which began when after the Second World War. A large number of these microstates are islands.