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Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela on Monday called an early general election for 30 May, with his Labour party seeking a fourth consecutive term.
Speaking in a televised address, Abela said Malta “needs an elected government with a new mandate focused solely on the country’s needs in light of all the challenges that the current context brings with it.”
The Maltese leader mainly cited rising energy costs due to the Middle East conflict, as concerns and fears of a spike in inflation grow in a country reliant on imports.
He promised that energy prices would remain “stable” and said his government would be a “shield” for the citizens of Malta.
According to data, Malta’s economy ranks amongst the top performers in Europe, with a government debt of 46%, a deficit of 2.2% of GDP and little to no real unemployment figures.
However, many industries rely on foreign workers or labour and tourism remains a backbone with some estimates showing it contributes some 15 percent to GDP.
Abela, a former lawyer, won a landslide victory in the 2022 elections. He will face off against Nationalist party leader Alex Borg.
Abela’s predecessor, Joseph Muscat, was forced to quit after being accused of shielding his allies from the investigation into the 2017 car bomb assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who had accused top members of Muscat’s administration of corruption.
Since 1966, the Maltese parliament has only had representatives from these two parties.
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