The centre-left Labor Party (MLP) has won Malta’s general elections for an unprecedented fourth time, according to preliminary results on Sunday.
“This is a victory for all the people based on the program that we presented to all the people,” Prime Minister Robert Abela told reporters. The results showed that his party “has won a strong mandate.”
“Let us maintain the spirit of national unity and together take the country forward,” he said.
More than 340,000 people were eligible to vote in Saturday’s vote in the EU’s smallest member state. The turnout was 87%.
Alex Borg, leader of the opposition Conservative Nationalist Party (PN), said, “This is not the result we wanted, but it is a very clear message. We will keep working to be a strong alternative for the country.” malta time.
The official results are expected to be declared later on Sunday.
What were the main issues of the campaign?
Abela, 48, called for snap elections a year ago, saying his government needed a new mandate to guide the country through an energy crisis caused by the war in Iran.
Pre-election polling had shown his party as the clear favourite.
The PN had sought to present its 30-year-old candidate Borg as a new alternative that could bring political change after more than a decade of Labor rule.
During the campaign, the lawyer and former “Mr. World Malta” beauty pageant winner railed against the country being “in chaos”, pointing to a strained health care system and power cuts.
Meanwhile, Abela has campaigned on strengthening the economy since 2013, promising efficiency and stability. He has led Malta since 2020, when his predecessor stepped down amid a political crisis over the 2017 murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Edited by: Srinivas Majumdaru
Don’t let algorithms hide news. If you rely on our team for reliable reporting, please take a moment Select us as your favorite source on Google by clicking here and pressing the “Star” or “Favorite” buttonThat’s why you’ll always see our verified news first.