Malta's Snap Election: Governing Labour Party Expected to Win

The Lead

Voting has begun in Malta's snap parliamentary election, which will determine who governs the Mediterranean island nation for the next five years.

Malta's Snap Election Underway

Polling stations opened on Saturday in a contest widely viewed as a two-horse race between the governing Labour Party and the centrist Nationalist Party.

Prime Minister Robert Abela, who leads the Labour Party, called the election a year ahead of schedule against the backdrop of the Iran war, which is impacting markets globally.

Economic Concerns Dominate the Election

The economy is set to dominate this year's election, with rising rents and ailing infrastructure at the forefront of many voters' minds.

Malta's public health service is also under increasing pressure following a population surge in what is already the European Union's smallest and most densely populated country.

The Impact of Past Events

The election takes place under the shadow of the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb in 2017.

Caruana Galizia exposed corruption in Malta, with her death ultimately leading to the resignation of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

The Future Outlook

Opinion polls suggest Abela's party is on course to win the snap election, with Labour dominating Malta's political landscape during the past decade.

However, the Nationalist Party's new leader, Alex Borg, hopes to unseat Labour and become Malta's youngest-ever prime minister at the age of 30.

Election results are expected to be announced at about midday on Sunday.