Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela (R, Front) waves to supporters during a Labour Party's rally in Attard, Malta, on March 24, 2022. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)
Saturday's election will see voters as young as 16 voting for the first time.
Malta's next parliament will also include a number of female MPs, following the introduction of a new law stating that 40 percent of MPs must be female.
VALLETTA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Voters in Malta went to the polls on Saturday for the country's general elections.
There are just over 340,400 registered voters to elect 65 members of parliament for the next five years. Citizens of the European Union (EU)'s smallest member state will vote until 10 p.m. on Saturday. The election results are expected on Sunday.
The ruling Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Robert Abela, is expected to win with a comfortable majority, according to surveys.
Opposition leader Bernard Grech, who has been leading the Nationalist Party since October 2020, is calling for a change in the country's direction after a series of scandals rocked the government. These include the placing of Malta on the grey list by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an anti-money laundering body.
A Christmas tree is erected in front of the parliament in Valletta, Malta on Nov. 29, 2020. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)
On the other hand, Abela is promising to bring about more reforms.
The party leaders cast their votes on Saturday morning in their respective hometowns.
Malta is split into 13 electoral districts, with each electing five MPs, depending on the size of the voting population.
Saturday's election will also see voters as young as 16 voting for the first time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also forced some organizational changes in the voting process, with special drive-through COVID-19 polling stations set up to cater for voters who are in self-isolation, quarantine or those who are positive to the virus.
Malta's next parliament will also include a number of female MPs, following the introduction of a new law stating that 40 percent of MPs must be female. If not directly elected, a mechanism will be used to co-opt them to parliament.
Maltese Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech (Front) addresses a rally in Valletta, Malta, on March 24, 2022. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)■
