Roberta Abela, Malta’s prime minister, has declared a decisive victory for his Labour party in the country’s general election – the party’s fourth consecutive parliamentary win – in a result he described as a powerful endorsement from the electorate.
“This is a victory for the entire nation, built on a programme we put forward for everyone,” Abela told journalists after preliminary results were announced.
He stressed that the party had secured a comfortable parliamentary majority, although according to reporters’ assessments, the margin may be somewhat narrower than in the 2022 election, when Labour won around 55% of the vote.
“Let us preserve a spirit of national unity and move the country forward together,” he added.
The opposition Nationalist party has conceded defeat. Its secretary general, Charles Bonello, said in a broadcast on the state television station TVM that despite Labour’s win, the opposition had succeeded in reducing its advantage.
Turnout stood at 87.4%, slightly higher than the figure for the previous election in 2022. Labour’s campaign focused on economic growth and managerial experience, while the opposition criticised the declining quality of life, despite positive macroeconomic indicators in the European Union’s smallest member state.
