Malta votes in snap parliamentary election
Voting is underway in Malta's parliamentary election. Opinion polls show Prime Minister Robert Abela on course for reelection in the shadow of the Middle East
Voting is underway in Malta's parliamentary election. Opinion polls show Prime Minister Robert Abela on course for reelection in the shadow of the Middle East crisis. Maltese voters were casting their ballots on Saturday to elect a new Parliament. The Republic of Malta is the smallest and most densely populated country in the European Union. Over 341,000 residents of the island country are eligible to vote. The polling will take place between 7 am (5 am UTC) and 10 pm (8 pm UTC). Preliminary results are expected to roll out on Sunday afternoon. What do we know about the election?
Opinion polls have put Prime Minister Robert Abela's ruling centre-left Labour Party (MLP) ahead in the race, which could pave the way for a record fourth consecutive term for the Labour government. Abela's primary opponent is Nationalist Party (PN) candidate Alex Borg. Borg is a 30-year-old lawyer and a former "Mr World Malta" beauty pageant titleholder. He would be the country's youngest leader if he emerges victorious. Energy bills, a hotly debated topic The polls were originally slated to be held early next year but Abela called for a snap vote in a televised address last month, citing global political concerns triggered by theIran war as the reason.
The nation imports nearly all of its energy and bills have been a hotly debated campaign topic this election season. The incumbent administration of Abela says it has allotted an extra €250 million ($290 million) for subsidies to cushion the blow from the crisis in the Middle East, in addition to €150 million already budgeted for 2026. Both Abela and Borg held final-stretch rallies on Thursday. Abela — who has campaigned on the strength of the economy, promising competence and stability — told his supporters he would be "a captain as strong as steel." Meanwhile, Borg railed against a country "in chaos," from an embattled health care system to blackouts in scorching heat.
Pressure on Maltese government grows over murder case To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the "star" or "preferred" button, so you'll always see our verified news first.
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