Maltese voters were casting their ballots on Saturday to elect a new Parliament.

The Republic of Malta is the smallest and most densely populated country in the European Union.

Over 341,000 residents of the island country are eligible to vote.

The polling will take place between 7am (5am UTC) and 10pm (8pm UTC).

Preliminary results are expected to roll out on Sunday afternoon.

Opinion polls have put Prime Minister Robert Abela’s ruling centre-left Labour Party (MLP) ahead in the race, which could pave the way for a record fourth consecutive term for the Labour government.

Abela’s primary opponent is Nationalist Party (PN) candidate Alex Borg.

Borg is a 30-year-old lawyer and a former ‘Mr World Malta’ beauty pageant titleholder. He would be the country’s youngest leader if he emerges victorious.

Energy bills, a hotly debated topic

The polls were originally slated to be held early next year but Abela called for a snap vote in a televised address last month, citing global political concerns triggered by the Iran war as the reason.

The nation imports nearly all of its energy and bills have been a hotly debated campaign topic this election season.

The incumbent administration of Abela says it has allotted an extra €250mn (US$290mn) for subsidies to cushion the blow from the crisis in the Middle East, in addition to €150mn already budgeted for 2026.

Both Abela and Borg held final-stretch rallies on Thursday.

Abela – who has campaigned on the strength of the economy, promising ​competence and stability – told his supporters he would be ‘a captain as strong as steel’.

Meanwhile, Borg railed against a country ‘in chaos’, from an embattled health care system to blackouts in scorching heat.

DW