2026 Maltese general election

2026 Maltese general election
30 May 2026
All seats in the House of Representatives
Opinion polls
 
Leader Robert Abela Alex Borg
Party Labour Nationalist
Last election 55.11%, 44 seats 42.12%, 35 seats
Current seats 43 seats 35 seats
Incumbent Prime Minister

Robert Abela
Labour



General elections will be held in Malta on 30 May 2026 to elect all members of the House of Representatives.

Background

The previous elections in March 2022 saw the Labour Party, which has governed the country since 2013, receive 55% of the popular vote and win 44 out of 79 seats in the House of Representatives.[1] Robert Abela, the Prime Minister of Malta and leader of the Labour Party since 2020, and his new cabinet were sworn in on 30 March 2022.[2] Bernard Grech, the leader of the Nationalist Party, was re-elected unopposed in May 2022.[3] The current Leader of the Opposition is Alex Borg, leader of the Nationalist Party, since 10 September 2025.[4] The election was announced following the completion of a deal to transfer Manoel Island back to the Maltese Government, and in the context of the ongoing war in Iran during a short address to the nation.[5]

Media speculation that the Prime Minister Robert Abela was considering calling a snap election had been ongoing since March 2026. On 22 March, Abela unveiled a focus on a "stronger Malta" for Labour's forthcoming manifesto in a speech to supporters.[6][7] Following hints during his Freedom Day speech of an impending election, the Labour Party held a Congress from 12 to 17 April in which the election manifesto guidelines were approved by the party's members.[8]

In an address to the nation[9], Abela announced a snap election on 30 May 2026, citing current geopolitical instability as requiring a new mandate from the Maltese people.[10]

Parties represented in the House of Representatives before the election

The table below lists parties represented in the House of Representatives after the 2022 general election.

Name Ideology Political position Leader 2022 result Seats at
dissolution
Votes (%) Seats
Labour Party (PL) Social democracy Centre-left Robert Abela 55.11%
44 / 79
43 / 79
Nationalist Party (PN) Christian democracy Centre-right Alex Borg 41.74%
35 / 79
35 / 79
Independents –
0 / 79
1 / 79

Electoral system

MPs are elected from 13 five-seat constituencies by single transferable vote.[11] Candidates who pass the Droop quota in the first round are elected, and any surplus votes transferred to the remaining candidates, who will be elected if this enables them to pass the quota.[11] The lowest ranked candidates are then eliminated one-by-one with their preferences transferred to other candidates, who are elected as they pass the quotient, until all five seats are filled.[12] If only two parties obtain seats, if the party which wins a majority of first preference votes fails to achieve a parliamentary majority, it is awarded additional seats to ensure a one-seat majority.[12] Despite conducting elections under a proportional ranked preferential system, Malta has a stable two-party system, with only the Labour Party and Nationalist Party having a realistic chance of forming a government.[13][14] Prior to the 2017 election, when the Democratic Party won two seats while running in a joint list with the Nationalist Party, the last time a party other than the Labour Party or the Nationalist Party won seats was in 1962.[15][16]

In 2018, the Parliament of Malta lowered the national voting age to 16.[17] During the 2017–2022 legislature a gender-corrective mechanism was introduced, with Article 52(A) of the Constitution stating that provides for up to 12 additional seats for unelected candidates from "the under-represented sex" in case one of both makes up less than 40% of the elected MPs.[18]

Timetable

Date Event
27 April Prime Minister Robert Abela announces a snap election and requests a dissolution of Parliament from President Myriam Spiteri Debono.[19]

Each party's campaign slogan is released.

28 April The Labour Party reiterates its first few proposals concerning parental and youth relief from their upcoming manifesto during a press conference and during a mass meeting in Żejtun

The Nationalist Party announce its first healthcare-related proposals from their upcoming manifesto during a mass meeting in Pieta.[20]

Participating parties

Name Founded Leader(s) Main ideology Political position
Labour Party 1921 Robert Abela Social democracy Centre-left
Nationalist Party 1926 Alex Borg Christian democracy Centre-right
AD+PD 2020 Sandra Gauci Green politics Left-wing
Momentum 2025 Arnold Cassola Centrism Centre
Imperium Europa 2000 Eman Alexander Cross Ultranationalism Far-right
Aħwa Maltin 2020 Paul Salomone Right-wing populism Far-right

Volt Malta stated they would not participate in the election, and would instead "support progressive and moderate third-party and independent voices".[20]

Campaign

Labour Party

The Labour Party began its campaign by publishing their slogan 'Int Malta' and multiple billboards with the slogan.[21] On 28 April, only a day after the election announcment, Labour held it first mass rally.[22] The party also published a series of proposals such as the increase of maternity and various other leaves. It also included multiple tax reductions and financial support largely aimed at young people and seniors.[23]

Nationalist Party

The Nationalist Party started its campaign by announcing their slogan 'Nifs Ġdid' while also installing billboards and banners with the slogan. On the 28th of April the Nationalist Party hosted it's first Mass Meeting in Pieta, outside of the Party HQ[20] During the mass meeting the party announced multiple proposals related to healthcare such as a new hospital in the North[20], a new hospital in Gozo,[20] an expansion of Mater Dei[20], free cancer treatment, and others.

Slogans

Party Original slogan English translation Refs
Labour Party Int Malta You're Malta [24]
Nationalist Party Nifs Ġdid A New Breath [25]
AD+PD Ilkoll All of Us [26]
Momentum Bidla ta' Vera Real Change [27]

Opinion polls

Opinion polling conducted in 2026 has generally shown the Labour Party maintaining a lead over the Nationalist Party, although the margin varies across surveys. A MaltaToday survey conducted in March 2026 placed the Labour Party at approximately 48.2% and the Nationalist Party at 45.6%, indicating a narrow lead.[28] Earlier surveys in January 2026 reported similar results, with Labour polling at around 48.9% and the Nationalist Party at 45.7%.[29] A separate survey conducted by Vincent Marmarà in February 2026 suggested a wider gap when accounting for undecided voters, projecting Labour support at 52.8% compared to around 42.6% for the Nationalist Party.[30][31]

Cost of living, purchasing power, and the economy are considered significant electoral issues, yet a KPMG report indicates that wages have effectively remained stagnant since 2018.[32][33]

References

  1. ^ "General Election - 2022". 12 April 2022. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022.
  2. ^ "OFFICIAL: The new members of PM Robert Abela's Cabinet". tvmnews.mt. 30 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Bernard Grech re-elected PN leader with over 80% votes". Times of Malta. 28 May 2022. Archived from the original on 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  4. ^ Magri, Giulia (10 September 2025). "Alex Borg sworn in as Opposition leader". Times of Malta. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  5. ^ https://timesofmalta.com/article/abela-announces-election-date.1126985
  6. ^ Zammit, Juliana. "Abela hints at early election with promise of 'new prosperity' manifesto". MaltaToday.com.mt.
  7. ^ Ellul, Daniel (22 March 2026). "Labour manifesto to focus on a 'stronger Malta' - Robert Abela". Times of Malta.
  8. ^ Sansone, Kurt. "Labour to hold six-day congress to approve election manifesto guidelines". MaltaToday.com.mt.
  9. ^ "Tħabbira tal-Elezzjoni Ġenerali 2026 fuq TVM". 28 April 2026.
  10. ^ "Robert Abela announces snap election for May 30". The Times of Malta. 27 April 2026.
  11. ^ a b "How Malta Votes: An Overview - Malta Elections". University of Malta. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Malta, electoral system". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  13. ^ Hirczy de Miño, Wolfgang; C. Lane, John (1999). Malta: STV in a two-party system. p. 17.
  14. ^ Cini, Michelle (2009). "A Divided Nation: Polarization and the Two-Party System in Malta". South European Society and Politics. 7 (1): 6–23. doi:10.1080/714004966. ISSN 1360-8746. S2CID 154269904. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  15. ^ Magro, Joseph (2018). Proposals for an improved Malta electoral system. Constitutional Reform of Malta. p. 44.
  16. ^ Elections in Europe: a data handbook. Dieter Nohlen, Philip Stöver (1 ed.). Baden-Baden, Germany: Nomos. 2010. p. 1302. ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7. OCLC 617565273.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. ^ "16-year-olds granted the vote in national elections". Times of Malta. 5 March 2018. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  18. ^ Abbas Shalan, Samira (28 March 2022). "Only 4 women elected, casual election results set to trigger gender mechanism". The Malta Independent. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  19. ^ https://timesofmalta.com/article/abela-announces-election-date.1126985
  20. ^ a b c d e f Borg, Bertrand (28 April 2026). "Live blog: Alex Borg speaks at PN rally, Robert Abela in Żejtun". Times of Malta.
  21. ^ https://timesofmalta.com/article/int-malta-nifs-gdid-parties-unveil-election-slogans.1127594
  22. ^ https://one.com.mt/l-ewwel-mass-rally-tal-partit-laburista-indirizzat-mill-pm-robert-abela/
  23. ^ https://one.com.mt/il-prim-ministru-jhabbar-l-ewwel-sett-ta-proposti-tal-partit-laburista/
  24. ^ Azzopardi, Karl. "'Int Malta' and 'Nifs Ġdid': Major parties announce election slogans". MaltaToday.com.mt.
  25. ^ Azzopardi, Karl. "'Int Malta' and 'Nifs Ġdid': Major parties announce election slogans". MaltaToday.com.mt.
  26. ^ "'ilkoll': ADPD shares 2026 election slogan - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt.
  27. ^ Brannon, Eva. "Momentum launches election campaign under the slogan Real Change". MaltaToday.com.mt.
  28. ^ Debono, James (8 March 2025). "Labour leads by 7,500 votes". Malta Today. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  29. ^ Debono, James (28 January 2026). "Labour retains three-point lead despite Abela trust drop". Malta Today. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  30. ^ The Malta Independent. "Marmarà survey puts Labour ahead by 10 points, undecided vote remains key factor". Retrieved 28 March 2026.
  31. ^ Balzan, Jurgen (21 February 2026). "Labour headed for clear victory, Marmarà claims". Newsbook Malta.
  32. ^ Debono, James (15 March 2026). "Bread and butter issues influence how people vote". MaltaToday. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  33. ^ Cordina, John Paul (21 March 2024). "Real wages in Malta have remained stagnant for years – KPMG report". Newsbook Malta.
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