Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca

Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca served as the ninth President of the Republic of Malta from 2014 to 2019. Her nomination was approved unanimously by the Maltese Parliament, marking a significant moment in Malta’s constitutional history. At the age of 55, she became the youngest President of the country and only the second woman to serve as Head of State.

Throughout her career, Marie-Louise has been deeply committed to social wellbeing, inclusion, and the protection of vulnerable communities. As President, she established entities to foster dialogue, unity, and a culture of positive peace, including the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society and the Malta Trust Foundation, both of which continue to support children, young people, families, and communities through research, education, and social initiatives.

Before assuming the presidency, Marie-Louise served as Malta’s Minister for the Family and Social Solidarity from 2013 to 2014, where she led reforms in social housing, welfare, pensions, poverty reduction, and child protection. She also launched community-based social policy initiatives and helped simplify the social benefits system to make it more accessible and effective.

Marie-Louise was active in politics for four decades and served in the Maltese Parliament from 1998 to 2014. Within the Labour Party, she held several senior leadership roles, including General Secretary, becoming the first and only woman to hold that position. She later served as President of Eurochild from 2019, bringing children’s rights and social inclusion to the centre of her continued public service.