Voting has begun in Malta’s parliamentary election, with opinion polls suggesting the ruling Labour Party is on course to win a fourth consecutive term.

Prime Minister Robert Abela called the snap election four years into the government’s five-year mandate, saying the country needed stability in the face of growing international uncertainty.

Malta has one of the strongest economies in the European Union. It grew by 4% last year, while inflation has remained low and unemployment is minimal. Electricity and fuel prices have also been frozen for much of the past decade, keeping them among the lowest in Europe.

But concerns remain over the possible impact of the conflict in the Middle East on the EU’s smallest member state, which relies heavily on imports. Higher aviation fuel prices could also affect tourism, one of Malta’s key industries.

Polls have consistently put Labour ahead of the opposition Nationalist Party, raising the prospect of another comfortable parliamentary majority after victories in 2013, 2017 and 2022.

Six parties are contesting the election, but only Labour and the centre-right Nationalist Party have won seats in parliament since 1966. Smaller parties have traditionally secured less than 5% of the vote.

Mr Abela has focused his campaign on the economy, promising competence and stability. The Nationalist Party, under its new leader Alex Borg, says economic growth has not improved people’s quality of life.

A sharp rise in the number of migrant workers over the past decade has also led to concerns about rising rents, overcrowding and pressure on infrastructure and health services.

Results are expected around midday on Sunday.

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