Labour party wins majority in Maltas parliamentary election

Malta’s Labour Party Secures Historic Fourth Term in Parliament

The Labour Party (PL) has secured an unprecedented fourth term in parliament, according to preliminary results announced on Sunday. Prime Minister Robert Abela expressed his gratitude to voters, stating that the party had received a strong mandate.

Preliminary vote counts indicated that PL had won a comfortable parliamentary majority, although it appeared narrower than in 2022. The election saw a turnout of 87.4 percent, slightly higher than the last general election in 2022.

The snap election was held on Saturday, with Abela citing concerns over geopolitical crises and their potential impact on Malta’s economy as reasons for calling the early vote. Despite growing economic concerns, including rising aviation fuel costs and inflation, the party campaigned on its economic record since 2013.

Opposition Nationalist Party (PN) candidate Alex Borg conceded the election in remarks to state broadcaster TVM, stating that his party had managed to reduce Labour’s majority. Abela has led Malta since 2020, following a period of political crisis over the 2017 killing of reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Malta’s economy grew 4 percent last year, but concerns remain about the potential impact of global conflicts on tourism and inflation. The country remains significantly behind in the fight against corruption, according to a 2025 Council of Europe report.

The island nation, located off the coast of Sicily, has a thriving economy based largely on tourism, online gaming, and financial services, with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the EU.

Source: Al Jazeera