Malta’s Labour Party secured an unprecedented fourth consecutive term on Sunday in a victory for outgoing Prime Minister Robert Abela, who had called an early election amid growing geopolitical uncertainty.
Jubilant Labour supporters dressed in the party’s red colours chanted “four times!” after officials at the Counting House in Naxxar announced that preliminary results pointed to a win for the governing party.
Abela, 48, had brought forward the vote by a year, arguing that the government needed a renewed mandate to help shield the import-dependent island from instability linked to the Middle East crisis.
While Malta’s economy grew by 4.0 percent last year, concerns remain that the conflict could affect tourism, driven by rising aviation fuel costs, and put upward pressure on inflation.
Abela campaigned on Labour’s economic performance since 2013, promising stability during a period of uncertainty.
