VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta’s electoral campaign has entered its decisive phase ahead of the 30 May general election, with the governing Labour Party (PL) and the opposition Nationalist Party (PN) intensifying efforts to win undecided voters amid rising concern over the cost of living, wages and public services.
Prime Minister Robert Abela is seeking a fourth consecutive Labour victory, while new PN leader Alex Borg is attempting to return his party to government after more than a decade in opposition. The campaign has focused heavily on economic stability, housing affordability and governance reforms.
A total of 162 candidates are contesting the general election across Malta’s 13 electoral districts, with eight representing ADPD, seven for Aħwa Maltin, one candidate for Imperium Europa, seven for Momentum, 72 candidates representing the Labour Party, 65 for the Nationalist Party, and two independent candidates.
Under Malta’s proportional representation system, each district elects five members of parliament through the single transferable vote mechanism, meaning at least 65 MPs are expected to be elected, although additional seats may be added to ensure proportionality and gender balance.
Recent opinion polls continue to place Labour ahead of the Nationalists, though the margin varies between surveys. MaltaToday’s latest poll gave Labour 50.1% support against the PN’s 43.8%, while statistician Vincent Marmarà projected a wider Labour advantage of around 30,000 votes nationwide.
Smaller parties are attempting to capitalise on voter dissatisfaction with the traditional two-party system, but analysts believe the election remains primarily a contest between Labour and the Nationalists.
Turnout is expected to remain high by European standards as Malta prepares for one of its most closely watched elections in recent years. Out of 356,832 eligible voters, 341,351 collected their voting documents by the deadline, while 15,481 voters — or 4.3% of the electorate — failed to do so and are therefore unable to vote.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
