Evelyn Bonaci (29 November 1916 – 16 December 2008) was a Maltese politician who served in the

Parliament of Malta The Parliament of Malta () is the constitutional legislative body in Malta, located in Valletta. The parliament is unicameral, with a democratically elected House of Representatives and the president of Malta. By constitutional law, all gover ...

from 1966 until 1976 as a member of the Labour Party. Bonaci co-founded the

women's wing A women's wing, sometimes also known as a women's group or women's branch, is an auxiliary or independent front or faction within a larger organization, typically a political party, that consists of that organization's female membership or acts to ...

of the Labour Party.

Biography

Evelyn Bonaci was born on 29 November 1916 in

Sliema Sliema ( ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. ...

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. Several members of her family were politicians associated with the

Malta Labour Party The Labour Party (, PL), formerly known as the Malta Labour Party (, MLP), is the oldest List of political parties in Malta, political party in Malta, and one of the two major parties alongside the Nationalist Party (Malta), Nationalist Party. ...

: her husband Louis unsuccessfully ran for the

in the 1953 and 1955 elections, while her brother-in-law, Cikku Bonaci, was an MP and government minister. In 1961, she co-founded the

of the Labour Party along with Agatha Barbara. Bonaci later served as the president of the women's wing of the party branch in

Birkirkara Birkirkara (abbreviated as B'Kara or BKR) is a city in the Eastern Region, Malta, Eastern Region of Malta. It is the second most populous on the Malta (island), island, with 24,356 inhabitants as of 2020. The town consists of five autonomous pari ...

, and was a member of the Labour Party's national executive committee. Bonaci unsuccessfully ran for parliament in the

1962 Maltese general election General elections were held in Malta between 17 and 19 February 1962.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1302 The Nationalist Party emerged as the largest party, winning 25 of the 50 seats. The Natio ...

. She ran again in the 1966 election, and was elected to represent

District 6 District Six is a place in Cape Town, South Africa. District Six may also refer to: :Government divisions * District 6, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam * District 6 (New York City Council), in the United States * VI District, Turku, in Finland * Dist ...

. Bonaci was re-elected in the

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

and 1976 elections. She was defeated in the 1981 election. Following her defeat, Bonaci remained active in the Labour Party; she ran again in the 1987 election, but was defeated. During her tenure, Bonaci was a member of the Maltese delegation to a conference of the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

. In 1995, Bonaci was named an "officer of the National Order of Merit". Bonaci died in

Luqa Luqa ( , ) is a town located in the Southern Region of Malta, 4.3 km away from the capital Valletta. With a population of 5,945 as of March 2014, it is a small but densely populated settlement which is typical of Malta's older towns and vi ...

on 16 December 2008 at the age of 92. Members of both major parties expressed condolences, including

Tonio Borg Tonio Borg (born 12 May 1957) is a Maltese lawyer, law professor, and former politician who served as the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy replacing John Dalli as member of the College of the European Commission in the second ...

and

Joseph Muscat Joseph Muscat (born 22 January 1974) is a Maltese politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Malta from 2013 to 2020 and leader of the Labour Party from 2008 to 2020. Muscat was first elected Prime Minister in March 2013 with 54.83 ...

of the Labour Party. The Labour Party stated that Bonaci was "an exemplary member of the party, known for her ethical respect towards political adversaries". Her funeral was held at

St Helen's Basilica St Helen's Basilica () is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church situated in Birkirkara, Malta. It is built on the baroque design by Salvu Borg and built by Mason Domenico Cachia. The design was inspired by, and is similar to, the Mdina Cathedral ...

in Birkirkara.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonaci, Evelyn 1916 births 2008 deaths People from Sliema People from Luqa 20th-century Maltese politicians 20th-century Maltese women politicians Labour Party (Malta) politicians Members of the House of Representatives of Malta Recipients of the National Order of Merit (Malta) Women members of the House of Representatives of Malta