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{{Short description|Gibraltarian politician (born 1967)}}
{{For|the Maltese politician|Keith Azzopardi Tanti}}{{EngvarB|date=June 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]
| name = Keith Azopardi
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KC}} {{post-nominals|country=GIB|size=100%|MP}}
| image = Keith Azopardi 2011 4x3 cropped.jpg
| caption =
| alt =
| order =
| office = [[Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition (Gibraltar)|Leader of the Opposition]]
| monarch = [[Elizabeth II]]<br />[[Charles III]]
| deputy = [[Roy Clinton]]<br />[[Elliott Phillips]]
| predecessor = [[Daniel Feetham]]
| term_start = 30 November 2017
| office1 = Member of the [[Gibraltar Parliament|Parliament of Gibraltar]]
| monarch2 = [[Elizabeth II]]
| order2 = 
| office2 = Deputy [[Chief Minister of Gibraltar]]
| governor2 = [[Richard Luce, Baron Luce|Sir Richard Luce]]<br />[[David Durie]]
| succeeding2 = 
| predecessor2 = 
| successor2 = Joseph Holiday
| constituency2 = 
| majority2 = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|06|06|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Gibraltar]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| restingplace =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| birthname =
| citizenship =
| nationality = [[British nationality law|British citizen]] ([[Gibraltarian people|Gibraltarian]])
| party = [[Gibraltar Social Democrats]] (1996–2003, 2017–present)
| otherparty = *[[Progressive Democratic Party (Gibraltar)]] (2006–2012)
*[[Gibraltar Liberal Party]] (formerly the Gibraltar National Party) (1992–1996)
| spouse =
| partner = 
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Politician
| profession = Lawyer
| termstart1 = 16 May 1996
| termend1 = 28 November 2003
| termend2 = 2003
| termstart2 = 2000
| term1 = 17 October 2019
}}

'''Keith Azopardi''' is a [[Gibraltarian people|Gibraltarian]] lawyer and politician<ref name="hartpub" /> serving as [[His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition (Gibraltar)|Leader of the Opposition]] and Leader of the [[Gibraltar Social Democrats]] since [[2017 Gibraltar Social Democrats leadership election|2017]].

He was born in [[Gibraltar]] on 6 June 1967 and was called to the Bars of England, Wales and Gibraltar in 1990. He is of [[History of the Maltese in Gibraltar|Maltese descent]].

He was a founder member of the Gibraltar National Party (which later became the Gibraltar Liberal Party) in December 1991. He later contested the 1992 general election as a candidate for that party, although he was not elected to Parliament.

He served as minister for environment and health for the [[Gibraltar Social Democrats]] from 1996 to 2000, after which he was appointed deputy [[chief minister of Gibraltar]]<ref name="hartpub" /> and minister for trade and industry, a position he held until 2003.

He stood down from politics in 2003 but later founded the [[Progressive Democratic Party (Gibraltar)|Progressive Democratic Party]] in June 2006. He was also involved in the negotiations with the British government that led to the grant of the new [[Gibraltar Constitution of 2006]].<ref name="hartpub" />

In October 2009, Azopardi published a book "Sovereignty and the Stateless Nation: Gibraltar in the Modern Legal Context" (Hart Publishing {{ISBN|978-1-84113-916-6}}) discussing the constitutional status of Gibraltar, and proposing ways forward to achieve an enduring settlement to the [[disputed status of Gibraltar|dispute with Spain]].<ref name="hartpub">{{cite web |url=http://www.hartpub.co.uk/books/details.asp?isbn=9781841139166 |title=STUDIES IN INTERNATIONAL LAW – NO. 24 Sovereignty and the Stateless Nation Gibraltar in the Modern Legal Context |accessdate=2009-12-17 |publisher=Hart Publishing |archive-date=3 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003063136/http://www.hartpub.co.uk/books/details.asp?isbn=9781841139166 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=17714 |title=Queen, The Rock Version |accessdate=2009-12-17 |date=18 November 2009 |work=[[The Gibraltar Chronicle]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918075405/http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=17714 |archivedate=2011-09-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In July 2017, he rejoined with the GSD and has represented himself as candidate for [[2017 Gibraltar Social Democrats leadership election]], opposing [[Roy Clinton]]. He won the elections and became the new leader of the GSD in 30 November 2017.{{fact|date=November 2024}}

Azopardi led the party into the [[2019 Gibraltar general election|2019]] election, focusing on the theme of "The Gibraltar You Deserve" but ultimately was defeated by the incumbent GSLP-Liberals under the leadership of chief minister [[Fabian Picardo]] who won a third term in office. The party suffered the loss of a seat to [[Together Gibraltar]], who won their first ever seat in parliament, and an overall decrease in their share of the vote by 6.01%.<ref>[https://www.parliament.gi/uploads/docs/elections/2019/result-statement/general_elections_results_2019.pdf GENERAL ELECTION. SUMMARY OF RESULTS – 17TH OCTOBER 2019]</ref>

Following the 2019 election, Azopardi remained as party leader and served as leader of the opposition again during the 13th Parliament of Gibraltar. He took the party into the [[2023 Gibraltar general election|2023]] election, and polling throughout the campaign showed the GSD narrowly ahead and at times statistically tied with the GSLP-Liberals. The party focused their campaign on the theme of change after eleven years of Fabian Picardo serving as chief minister, using the slogan "Make The Change For a Bright Future". Despite the [[Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation|GBC]] exit poll<ref>{{Cite web |title=GBC's Election Exit Poll puts GSD in front by slimmest of margins |url=https://www.gbc.gi/news/gbcs-election-exit-poll-puts-gsd-front-slimmest-margins |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=gbc.gi |language=en}}</ref> on election night suggesting an incredibly narrow victory for the party with Keith Azopardi expected to become chief minister, ultimately once the votes had been counted the party fell short of government and Fabian Picardo and the GSLP-Liberals won a fourth consecutive term in office. Despite suffering a surprising defeat, the party gained two seats and increased their vote share by 22.6% and made political history in Gibraltar by becoming the first opposition to hold eight seats versus the traditional seven seats the opposition have won in previous elections.{{fact|date=November 2024}}

==See also==
* [[List of Gibraltarians]]
* [[Politics of Gibraltar]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azopardi, Keith}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century Gibraltarian lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century Gibraltarian lawyers]]
[[Category:Progressive Democratic Party (Gibraltar) politicians]]
[[Category:Gibraltar Social Democrats politicians]]
[[Category:Government ministers of Gibraltar]]
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Gibraltarian King's Counsel]]
[[Category:Gibraltarian people of Maltese descent]]
[[Category:British political party founders]]
[[Category:Alumni of Keele University]]

{{Gibraltar-politician-stub}}

Keith Azopardi - Revision history

imported>Ohconfucius: script-assisted date audit and style fixes per MOS:NUM, Script-assisted style fixes; WP:ENGVAR]