Overview
- Voting took place on Saturday and officials began counting overnight with preliminary results reported on Sunday showing the Labour Party in the lead.
- Abela called the early election to seek a mandate to protect Malta’s import‑dependent economy and the government has set aside an extra €250 million on top of €150 million already budgeted to subsidise energy costs.
- Economic issues dominated the campaign with rising rents, pressure on health and transport services, and fears that higher aviation and fuel costs could hit tourism and push up inflation.
- Longstanding rule‑of‑law concerns persisted on the campaign trail as the 2021 inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s 2017 murder found the state created a climate of impunity and a 2025 Council of Europe report said Malta lags on anti‑corruption measures.
- Malta’s single transferable vote system normally produces a two‑party parliament so a Labour victory would mean policy continuity on subsidies and development, while critics warn it leaves structural problems such as overdevelopment and strained services unresolved.