Malta’s Prime Minister has announced early parliamentary elections for 30 May, several months before the end of the current five-year term.
Labour leader Robert Abela, 48, said in a statement and on social media that he had asked the President of Malta to dissolve Parliament and confirmed he will stand for a third consecutive term, pledging to provide “stability” in what he described as a turbulent international environment, particularly during the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
Call for renewed mandate
“Our country needs an elected government with a new mandate, focused solely on the needs of the country given all the challenges in the environment in which we find ourselves, and the coming months will be crucial,” Abela said.
He referred to the energy crisis linked to the war in the Middle East, adding that he wants to continue to “provide the necessary stability, whatever the evolution of the international situation”.
The Labour Party is seeking a fourth consecutive electoral victory.
Opposition prepares for first test
In opposition, the new leader of the conservative Nationalist Party, Alex Borg, will face his first electoral test.
In the previous elections in 2022, the Labour Party secured 55.11 per cent of the vote despite lower turnout and the shadow cast by the murder scandal of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The party won by a wide margin over its main rival, the Nationalist Party.
Abela’s campaign had focused on his government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and the strength of the economy during the nine years of Labour rule.
The Nationalist Party centred its campaign on issues of corruption and government subsidy cheques sent shortly before election day, but it was also affected by internal divisions that limited its performance.
Source: CNA / ANA-MPA