Paul Boffa

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Maltese commemorative coin for Paul Boffa

Sir Paul Boffa (born June 30, 1890 in Vittoriosa , Malta , † July 6, 1962 in Paola , Malta) was a Maltese politician and Prime Minister .

Studies and World War I

Paul Boffa graduated in medicine at the Royal University of Malta in 1912 from a Doctor of Medicine (MD). During the First World War he served in the Royal Medical Corps in Malta, Saloniki and on medical ships. After the end of the war he settled as a general practitioner in Paola.

Political career and World War II

After the guarantee of self-government in 1921, Boffa entered politics as a member of the Labor Party in 1923. In 1924 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly. When he was elected leader of the Labor Party in 1927, he began to demand the rights and equality of workers in government shortly thereafter. Together with the Conservative Party (CP) of Prime Minister Gerald Strickland , he formed a government coalition. In 1932, however, he was re-elected to the Legislative Assembly as the only member of the Labor Party and represented the interests of the workers until the dissolution of parliament in November 1933.

From 1936 to 1939 Boffa was a member of the Executive Council. During the Second World War he served as a medical officer in the areas of Cottenera, Paola, Tarxien and Luqa.

prime minister

After the end of the Second World War, he was elected Member of Parliament in the first election in 1945 for the Labor Party.

He reached the high point of his political career on November 4, 1947 when he was elected Prime Minister. At this point in time for the Labor Party with 24 MPs with an absolute majority. His 1949 ultimatum to Great Britain to provide financial support to Malta led to the split in the Labor Party. He then founded the Malta's Worker's Party (MWP) and became its chairman. Even after the split, he remained Prime Minister, but lost the parliamentary elections in September 1950. Enrico Mizzi was succeeded as Prime Minister . During his tenure, Boffa campaigned for greater use of the Maltese language in the courts and for a strengthening of primary education and the pension system.

Later political career

From 1951 to 1955 he was Minister for Health and Social Services in the coalition government of Prime Minister Ġorġ Borg Olivier . From 1955, the MWP no longer ran for parliamentary elections, especially since Boffa was no longer running for health reasons. However, he remained politically active insofar as he was elected honorary president of the Christian Worker's Party (CWP), the successor to the MWP.

For his services he was made "Sir" and Knight of the OBE in 1956 .

Awards

  • War star 1914–1918
  • General Service Medal
  • Victory Medal
  • Coronation Medal
  • Defense Medal
  • Order of the British Empire ( OBE ) 1941
  • Knight (Sir) 1956

Web links

Commons : Paul Boffa  - Collection of Images

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