It is said that news is the first rough draft of history.

The year 2003 will be remembered as the year of the elections, when the Maltese were called to cast their vote not less than three times in the space of a few weeks.

First we had the referendum on Malta's accession to the European Union on March 8th. On the same day a third of the Maltese electorate was called to vote for Local Elections. Six weeks later we had the general elections that confirmed the outcome of the referendum and paved the way for Malta's full membership in the European Union.

The year 2003 will also be remembered for the very poor showing of Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest, the hard-hitting Budget for 2004 where the government announced some drastic unpopular financial measures, and the terrible summer hot and the chilly Christmas period.

The year also saw the loss of some prominent Maltese personalities, while Gozo also had its fair share in the happenings of the Maltese Islands.

The local sports and cultural scenes also provided some interesting events.

MaltaMedia has captured the spirit of 2003 in this special feature, which has become a regular appointment at the end of each calendar year.