The Labor Party claimed victory in Malta’s general election on Sunday, citing the preliminary results of the vote, which was marked by low turnout.

Outgoing Prime Minister Robert Abela said in a telephone contact with TVM News that his party won the majority, without giving further details, sparking jubilation from Labor delegates at the Naxxar counting site.

In these elections, the participation could be 85%, according to the electoral commission, a historically low figure since since independence in 1964, Malta, a former British colony, always registered a participation greater than 90%.

In the town of Naxxar, where the counting of the votes cast is being carried out – out of a list of 355,000 voters – Labor militants were pleased with the announcement of the preliminary results, AFP journalists confirmed.

If victory is confirmed, it would be the first mandate obtained at the polls by Abela, who was appointed head of government after the resignation of Joseph Muscat in early 2020.

Muscat resigned amid corruption scandals and allegations that he tried to influence the investigation into the 2017 murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was investigating corruption.

These were the first elections with the right to vote for those over 16 years of age. Previously the legal age to vote was 18 years.

The final results will be communicated on Sunday night or Monday morning.

But the two main parties, the Labor Party and the Nationalist Party, trust the preliminary results.

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