VALLETTA: Malta votes Saturday in elections expected to result in an unprecedented fourth consecutive term for the Labour government, which has pledged to keep the Mediterranean island nation stable in a turbulent world.
Prime Minister Robert Abela called a snap general election last month, saying the government needs a new mandate due to rising geopolitical tensions.
Opinion polls point to a win for Abela, who is campaigning on Labour’s economic record during 13 years of power and a promise to shield import-heavy Malta from external shocks.
The tiny Mediterranean island has a thriving economy based largely on tourism, online gaming and financial services.
But looming large among voter concerns is the potential fallout from the Iran war, in a country that imports nearly all its energy.
The government says it has earmarked an extra 250 million euros ($290 million) for potential energy subsidies, on top of the 150 million euros already budgeted for 2026.
There are a lot of bills to subsidise: one of the smallest countries in the world, Malta is also among the most densely inhabited.
Its population has grown nearly 30 percent over a decade, driven largely by foreigners, and now counts roughly half a million people.
The construction sector is booming, but heritage groups have denounced rampant overdevelopment and environmental degradation.
The health sector is also under strain, from long waiting lists to a shortage of mental health facilities and hospital beds.
According to a 2025 Council of Europe report, Malta remains significantly behind in the fight against corruption.
And the island nation, which has few natural resources, is on the frontline of climate change and at risk of desertification and drought.
- Matter of trust -
With Labour and the opposition Nationalist Party (PN) proposing not dissimilar remedies, the vote is likely to come down to a “question of credibility, of trust,” sociology professor Michael Briguglio told AFP.
Abela, 48, called the election early to reduce the PN’s new leader Alex Borg’s chances of building support, said political analyst Andrew Azzopardi from the University of Malta.
A poll conducted by Malta Today earlier this month showed Abela with a “trust rating” among voters of 43 percent, versus Borg at 36 percent.
But the 30-year-old Borg, who was appointed in September, “was catching up” in terms of popularity, Azzopardi told AFP.
“He’s got energy, he’s connecting with young voters, reorganizing the party,” he said.
Nonetheless, the latest poll by the Malta Independent put Labour comfortably ahead at 49 percent of the vote, to the PN’s 38 percent.
Abela has led EU member Malta since January 2020, when his predecessor quit following a political crisis over the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Azzopardi said the prime minister was also likely keen to hold the ballot before the upcoming trial of businessman Yorgen Fenech, who is charged with orchestrating the 2017 murder.
Caruana Galizia exposed corruption at the highest level in the country, shining a spotlight on murky links between Malta’s business and political elite.
Azzopardi said Fenech had extensive political dealings that could implicate people from previous Labour governments and “possibly people still around the Labour Party.”
