Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca is the ninth President of the Republic of Malta. Her nomination was approved unanimously by a parliamentary resolution of the House of Representatives taken on 1 April 2014, marking a development in the constitutional history of Malta. She took the oath of President of Malta on 4 April 2014.
At the age of 55 years, Coleiro Preca is the youngest President of the country, and is the second woman occupying the office of Head of State after 32 years.
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca was born in Qormi, on the 7 December 1958. She received her education at the Primary School, Qormi, Maria Regina Grammar School and at the Polytechnic, Msida. Later, she graduated from the University of Malta as Bachelor in Legal and Humanities Bachelor and later attained the Diploma of Notary Public.
Coleiro Preca has been active in politics for the past forty years, starting at the young age of 16 years. Within the Labour Party, she served as a member of the National Executive, Assistant Secretary-General and Secretary General, occupying the latter post between 1982 and 1991. Coleiro Preca is the only woman who ever occupied this important elected position in a Maltese political party.
Coleiro Preca was also a member of the National Youth Socialists Bureau, President of the Socialist Women’s Group, President of the National Council, President of the National Bureau of Socialist Youths (now the Labour Youth Forum), founder of Ġuze Ellul Mercer Foundation, as well as editor of the newspaper, il-Ħelsien.
Coleiro Preca served on the board of directors of Maltacom plc (now the GO Company), as well as the Libyan Arab Maltese Holding Company. She was also a member of the National Commission for Fiscal Morality.
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca served as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives between 1998 and 2014. In the 2008 general election, she was the first candidate elected to Parliament.
As a Member of Parliament in Opposition, she served as speaker for Social Policy, Tourism and Air Malta, and Health, and was a member of the Parliamentary Committee for Social Affairs and the Family. She also served in the Parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe and various committees that fall within it.
On 13 March 2013, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca was appointed as Minister for the Family and Social Solidarity. During the year that she was Minister, she initiated various reforms.
The key reforms affected during her term of office included those in the area of social housing, as well as the reform for an integrated social system based on community level approaches through the establishment of the Family Resource Centres. Yet another reform brought about the simplification of the benefits system of those who reach retirement age, persons eligible for marriage grant, persons who are eligible for the widow pensions and those eligible for the children's allowance, who now receive the benefits without the need for applications, thus rendering the system more efficient.
Coleiro Preca initiated the introduction of the single means testing mechanism, as well as a complete overhaul in the area of welfare and more effective anti-fraud social benefits system. She set up a Welfare Reform Task Force to update the Welfare system and curb abuse and fraud.
During her term as Minister, Coleiro Preca initiated the development of a strategy for the sustainability and adequacy of pensions. She addressed the anomalies in the pension of former shipyard workers and introduced a number of measures, such as the provision of full pension to widows who are working, and the provision of children's supplement to address child poverty motivated by their school attendance, health check-ups and involvement in culture or sports.
As Minister, Coleiro Preca tabled several laws before Parliament, including the Act on the Protection of Children, as part of the Children’s Act, and which was developed using the innovative bottom-up approach methodology. She established the Sexual Assault Response Team, where for the first time ever, rape victims may receive an integrated service in one location.
In December 2013, together with the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion László Andor, Coleiro Preca launched the LEAP project. This project funded by the European Social Fund, established the Family Resources Centres to provide services at the heart of communities and which gave a start to the implementation of the new Social Investment Package introduced by the European Union.
In January 2014, Coleiro Preca, together with the Prime Minister of Malta, Dr Joseph Muscat, launched the Green Paper: Structure for Poverty Reduction and Social Inclusion. Over 22,000 children will benefit from the supplementary aid to be introduced to tackle poverty and social exclusion, as part of the strategy.
As President of Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca founded the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society that will encompass the National Institute for Childhood, the Family Research Centre, and Observatory for Living with Dignity and the Centre for Freedom from Addictions.
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca was awarded the Crans Montana Prix de la Fondation 2014, an award given to prominent personalities who strive for peace, freedom and democracy. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca is holds the Honorary Life Presidency of the Arab-European Forum for Dialogue and Development and an Honorary Professorship at the University of Warwick in the UK.
Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca is married to Edgar Preca and has a daughter.