Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, (born 8 November 1932) is a Maltese politician and was the fifth

president of Malta The president of Malta () is the constitutional head of state of Malta. The president is indirect election, indirectly elected by the House of Representatives of Malta, which appoints the president for a five-year term and requires them to sw ...

from 1994 to 1999.

Early life, education and family

Ugo Mifsud Bonnici was born in Cospicua as the son of Professor Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, and his wife, Maria (née Ross). He was educated at St Edward's College, Malta, the

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...

and the Royal University of Malta. He graduated as a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1952 and as a

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

in 1955. As a lawyer, he has practised in all the Law Courts of Malta. On 3 May 1959, he married Gemma (née Bianco); the couple has three childrenː Carmelo, Anton and Jeanne-Pia.

Entry to politics

Following in his father's footsteps, he contested the

General Elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

in the interests of the Nationalist Party in 1966. He was elected from the 2nd District which comprised Cospicua,

Vittoriosa Birgu ( , ), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ('Victorious City'), is an old Fortifications of Birgu, fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory ...

Senglea Senglea ( ), also known by its title Città Invicta (or Civitas Invicta), is a fortified city in the Port Region of Malta. It is one of the Three Cities in the Grand Harbour area, the other two being Cospicua and Vittoriosa, and has a popu ...

Kalkara Kalkara () is a village in the Port Region of Malta, with a population of 3,014 as of March 2014. The name is derived from the Latin word for lime (Calce), and it is believed that there was a lime kiln present there since Roman times. Kalkara ...

and Fgura. He was re-elected in all subsequent General Elections that he contested. For fifteen years (1972–1987) he was the Nationalist Party's spokesman for Education. In 1977 he was also elected President of the Party's General and Administrative Councils.

Member of the Cabinet

In 1987, the Nationalist Party was elected to Government and Bonnici was appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Education. His portfolio included Education, Environment, Broadcasting, Culture, Youth, Museums and Sport. In 1990, he became

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

and the Interior. Following the 1992 elections, Mifsud Bonnici was appointed Minister of Education and Human Resources. As a Member of Parliament, he took an active interest in the updating of Malta's legislation. He was a member of numerous Select Committees including the Committee set up to draft the Constitutional changes that declared Malta a

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

. As a Minister, he worked on the drafting of important legislation such as the ''Education Act'', the ''Environment Act'', the ''National Archives Act'' and the '' Occupational Health and Safety Promotion Act''. He made a strong effort to improve the standards at public schools.

Presidency

He was inaugurated as President of Malta on 4 April 1994, and served his term in full, ending five years later to the day. He was succeeded by Guido de Marco in 1999.

Writings

Dr. Mifsud Bonnici is a prolific writer. His articles have appeared in various newspapers; some were published in two books: ''Il-Linja t-Tajba - L-Aħjar Artikli ta' Dottor Ugo Mifsud Bonnici'' and ''Biex il-Futur Reġa' Beda''. He also spent some years as editor of a literary magazine ''Malta Letterarja''.

Honours

National Honours

* : Companion of Honour of the National Order of Merit (1994) ''"by right as a President of Malta"''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mifsud Bonnici, Ugo 1932 births Living people Presidents of Malta Nationalist Party (Malta) politicians Maltese Roman Catholics Companions of Honour of the National Order of Merit (Malta) People from Cospicua 20th-century Maltese politicians