Malta PM Muscat Wins Historic Snap Election

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s Labour Party secured a historic victory in Malta’s snap general election held on June 3, 2017. The win marked the first time the party won a second consecutive term since 1976, capturing 55% of the vote, the highest share since 1955 [1].

Key takeaways

• The Labour Party won 55% of the vote, securing a second term in government [1].
• Voter turnout was 92%, a decrease of one percentage point from the previous election [1].
• The snap election was called by Muscat amid allegations linking his associates to the Panama Papers [1].
• Six parties contested the election, the most since 1962 [1].

Snap election follows corruption allegations

Muscat announced the early vote on May 1 during a May Day rally in Valletta, stating the goal was to safeguard economic stability from the "power hungry" [1]. This decision followed intense pressure from civil society and the opposition after blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia published articles linking Muscat, Minister Konrad Mizzi, and Chief of Staff Keith Schembri to companies in Panama [1]. Muscat denied the claims, calling them "the biggest lie in Malta's political history," while opposition leader Simon Busuttil called for his resignation and a national demonstration against corruption [1].

Labour dominates amid crowded field

The election featured six parties, the highest number participating since 1962 [1]. The Nationalist Party, led by Busuttil, formed a coalition with the Democratic Party known as "Forza Nazzjonali" for the contest [1]. The Nationalist Party is a centre-right, Christian democratic group that has won six general elections since independence, most recently in 2008 [2]. Despite the expanded field and the corruption allegations, the Labour Party maintained a lead shown in pre-election polls to secure the victory [1]. The voting system uses a single transferable vote method to elect members from 13 districts [1].

Why it matters

The result solidifies Muscat's mandate despite the controversies leading up to the vote. The high turnout of 92% indicates strong engagement from the Maltese electorate [1]. For the Nationalist Party, the defeat continues its period in opposition, having last won a general election in 2008 by a margin of roughly 1,500 votes [2].