"Today we have written history, together," said Abela, the 48-year-old party leader, as he proclaimed the election victory from the balcony of the party's headquarters.
Abela's main opponent was Alex Borg of the Nationalist Party (PN), a 30-year-old lawyer who had previously won the "Mr World Malta" beauty contest. Borg's election manifesto was based, among other things, on the demand for "change."
Voters elected Abela, who has governed the country since 2020. His predecessor was forced to leave office after a political scandal that followed the murder of investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017.
