Volt Malta's first MEP election candidate, Matthias Iannis Portelli

Matthias Iannis Portelli has been chosen to be Volt Malta’s first MEP Candidate for the upcoming 2024 European Parliament Elections, joining Volt Europa’s pan-European campaign for 23 seats in the European Parliament.

Matthias grew up in L-Andrijiet, Rabat and is currently a resident of Paola. He’s been active in a number of NGOs over the years, and is currently studying for a Masters in International Security Studies. 

He’s been part of Volt Europa since 2020, and was the national policy lead of Volt Malta for the 2022 General Elections. In 2023 he was elected to the party’s national board as one of its Vice-Presidents.

His main areas of interest lie in security, addressing both economic and social inequalities, as well as championing sustainable growth and development. Matthias believes that the EU must be democratised, and that it represents the most significant political arena for his generation, especially for Malta.

“My commitment is not just to better Malta but also to enhancing the entire EU landscape. By participating in this election, I aim to demonstrate my dedication to devoting my time and energy towards the betterment of our islands and the European community,” remarked Matthias.

In the upcoming 2024 European Parliament Elections Volt Europa is running a campaign under the same name and programme, looking to have 23 seats elected across Europe. In the 2019 European Parliament elections the movement participated in the elections across 7 countries, winning 416,171 votes, and gaining a seat in Germany.

Since then Volt has grown to have MPs in the Netherlands, Bulgaria and Cyprus, and has over 100 officials elected at the local level throughout those countries as well as Germany, Portugal and Italy. Among its European Parliament candidates is the incumbent Damian Boeselager from Germany who visited Malta, meeting a number of Ministers in 2023 and MPs. Furthermore, veteran Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld has joined Volt and is running for the elections with Volt Belgium. Sophie has long been vocal on Malta’s golden passport scheme, the justice system, and has called for Malta to implement the recommendations of the Daphne Caruana Galiza public inquiry.