Voting ongoing in snap elections in Malta, governing party expected to win

Voting began on Saturday in Malta’s snap parliamentary elections, which will determine the country’s leadership for the next five years. The race is widely viewed as a contest between Prime Minister Robert Abela’s governing Labour Party and the centrist Nationalist Party, led by 30-year-old Alex Borg. Abela called the election early amid global economic pressures, including rising energy prices and inflation linked to the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz blockade, which threaten his party’s prospects of a record fourth term. Economic issues dominate the campaign, with voters prioritizing concerns over rising rents and deteriorating infrastructure. Malta’s public health system is also under strain due to population growth, despite the country being the EU’s smallest and most densely populated nation. Polls suggest Labour remains ahead, though the Nationalist Party aims to capitalize on voter dissatisfaction. The election follows the 2017 assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose work exposed corruption in Malta. Her death led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, and a 2025 inquiry found the government created an ‘atmosphere of impunity’ that enabled her killers. Two men were later sentenced to life imprisonment for supplying the car bomb used in her murder. Results are expected by midday Sunday, with Abela’s Labour Party favored to retain power. The outcome will shape Malta’s political future amid ongoing economic and social challenges.