Dr Alfred Sant

Conte's coalition executive was put to confidence votes in parliament after it was plunged into crisis by ex-premier Matteo Renzi's Italia Viva (IV) party pulling its support.

The National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) stated that were political parties and institutions more effective in increasing the participation by women in political life, the gender-corrective mechanism in the House of Representatives would not be necessary.

Dr Bernard Grech has announced the new Shadow Cabinet. The re-shuffle comes after internal consultation to strengthen the opposition parliamentary group for the coming months.