Labour Party secures third historic landslide despite lowest post-war turnout

The Labour Party has claimed victory for a third consecutive election, with a projected landslide comparable to its 2017 triumph.

Voters have given Robert Abela and the Labour Party another mandate to govern over the next five years, with projections indicating a vote gap close to or above the 2017 landslide.

Projected results are not yet out, but it is clear that the Nationalist Party failed to dent the Labour super-majority despite a historically low turnout of 85.5% that was expected to dampen the chances of another majority over 30,000 votes.

This year's campaign was fought mostly between the Labour Party, led by Prime Robert Abela, and the Nationalist Party, led by Opposition leader Bernard Grech.

Abela took over as PM after winning a party leadership battle with deputy prime minister Chris Fearne, after the disgraced exit of his predecessor, Joseph Muscat, in the wake of the arrest of magnate Yorgen Fenech.

Grech was himself the winner of a party leadership contest with predecessor Adrian Delia, who suffered a backbench rebellion in mid-2020. Delia, a backbench MP, is contesting on the eighth district.