The island of Malta became a republic on Friday (13 December) when Governor-General Sir Anthony Mamo was sworn in as its first President.

The colourful swearing-in ceremony was held in the ancient palace of the Grand Masters of the Knights of St. John.

A large crowd of Maltese stood outside n driving wind and rain to cheer and chant songs of the Labour Party. Inside their Prime Minister, Dom Mintoff, and other ministers and parliamentarians took the oath of allegiance to the new republic.

The new President, Sir Anthony, is a former Chief of Justice and had been Governor-General since 1971.

Malta became the 19th republic in the commonwealth, after the 55-member House of Representatives passed three Bills amending the constitution. Under the constitution, adopted when Malta became independent from Britain in 1964, Queen Elizabeth was Queen of Malta.