The win gives Robert Abela’s Labour Party an unprecedented fourth term in power.
Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela declared victory in this weekend’s general election, securing an unprecedented fourth term for his governing Labour Party.
The final vote tally has not been published, but on Sunday morning Abela said he had won after preliminary results showed voters in the sunny island country had backed his party.
“We’ve written history. This is a victory for all of Malta,” he said in a televised statement, according to the Times of Malta. “Let’s keep the positive national spirit.”
Abela called a snap election in April, four years into his five-year term, amid fears the war in Iran and the ensuing economic shock could erode support for his government.
Alex Borg, leader of the opposition Nationalists Party, appeared to concede defeat on Sunday, saying the outcome was “not the result we wanted, but it’s a very clear message.”
Abela’s victory was widely expected, with polling ahead of Saturday’s vote showing his Labour Party on top. Still, the Labour Party’s majority appeared to be considerably smaller than its last victory in 2022, with around 18,000 votes separating the government from the opposition.
The election was fiercely fought and drew some surprise interventions from Brussels, with Malta’s EU Commissioner Glenn Micallef, who was Abela’s chief of staff, controversially endorsing the prime minister in a campaign speech, and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola appearing at campaign stops alongside Borg.