Malta had to overcome a lot on the long and difficult road towards becoming a republic. The quick explanation is Malta was governed by the Queen of England and then it wasn’t anymore, but there’s a lot more to it. After freeing us from French occupation, the British took Malta as a colony in 1814. Over the years, they began to realise how advantageous the island’s geographic position was for economic purposes, and after the Second World War broke out, they set up their naval base in Malta.

After exactly 150 years under the British, on September 21, 1964, Malta was finally given independence, along with the George Cross on the flag, as a reward for the people’s bravery at the face of heavy World War II bombings. However, Queen Elizabeth II was still the country’s monarch and Head of State. In 1971, the Labour Party started pushing for a Maltese Republic, and on December 13, 1974, the constitution was greatly altered. Thus, the country elected its first President, Sir Anthony Mamo, a national achievement that will hit its 50th anniversary next year. 

A year later in August, a monument was inaugurated in Marsa to commemorate the events. More recently in 2014, a monument of Dom Mintoff, the Primeminister who played a big role in liberating Malta, was erected in Conspicua in honour of the 40th anniversary of Republic Day. Today, there are various annual celebrations held on the public holiday, primarily in Valletta and Malta. Perhaps the most prominent one is the Awards Ceremony, where the President, with whom the day is most associated, honours public figures and citizens in military or political institutions with the ‘Ġieħ ir-Repubblika’ award.