Overview
- Preliminary counts released on Sunday showed the ruling Labour Party secured a fourth consecutive term and a comfortable parliamentary majority that is smaller than in 2022.
- Voter turnout was unusually high at about 87 to 87.4 percent, reflecting intense public engagement in the snap vote called by Abela in late April.
- Abela said he called the early election to win a fresh mandate to protect the import-dependent island from fallout of the Iran and Middle East war, and he has pledged extra state support for energy bills.
- The government has earmarked an additional €250 million for energy subsidies on top of €150 million already budgeted for 2026, a policy aimed at keeping consumer bills lower as fuel costs rise.
- The campaign unfolded under long-running corruption concerns tied to the 2017 killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, and the opposition conceded while saying it had reduced Labour’s margin; final tallies and Abela’s formal swearing-in are expected to follow the preliminary count.