Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545087
16 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 MAY 2026 NEWS ELECTION 2026 PRIME Minister Robert Abela has called on vot- ers to give Labour their trust again at Saturday's general election, telling supporters at a campaign event that the party has never turned its back on people and never will. "This movement was born as a dream, the dream of people who suffered prejudice, of peo- ple who were looked down upon because they always worked for the small and the vulnerable," Abela said on Tuesday evening. "All they wanted was for their children to have the same opportu- nities as everyone else." Abela opened his speech by thanking support- ers and saying he was proud of what the move- ment had shown during the campaign, that it was a movement of opportunity, aspiration, and potential, and one that belonged to everyone. He described it as the movement of the worker, of those starting out in life, of those setting up a business, and of those with the drive to move forward. He said the movement had grown because it had kept walking alongside people, and that its doors had always been thrown open, including to those who had not always supported Labour but who had the good of the country at heart. From that point, he said, the movement had be- come a wave of change. Abela said Malta had surpassed countries it once could only have dreamed of matching in terms of the economy, employment, and wealth creation. He said the country had also made strides in civil rights, breaking down walls of prejudice he described as thick, which the move- ment had brought down. "We changed how we look at each other, how we respect each other, and above all how we give everyone the opportunity to reach their dream," he said. Abela described the election manifesto as one written from the lived experiences of ordinary people, built measure by measure around their realities, their aspirations, and their hardships. "Every measure was thought out around your needs," he said, "so that every step of life be- comes lighter, more beautiful, and stronger, from before birth all the way through to old age." Abela calls on voters to renew Labour's mandate on Saturday 'The hour for Malta is with us': Borg addresses mass meeting in Gozo JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Prime Minister Robert Abela (Photo: PL) SPEAKING on his home turf in Gozo, Nationalist Party Leader Alex Borg de- scribed the election as a choice between "more of the same" and "a breath of fresh air," calling for political unity in Malta and Gozo. Opening his speech while embracing his Gozitan accent, Borg said "I'm not here for the PN, I'm here to speak to you as the Alex you know," drawing a standing ovation from the crowd, which repeatedly interrupted his speech with chants. "I believe Malta will yell for a breath of fresh air, and I believe Gozo will scream for it." "Four years ago, the Gozitan people placed their trust in me to represent them in parliament," Borg recalled. "To- day, I have the privilege to address you as the head of the Nationalist Party." "You can give me any job, any stage, you can make me prime minister, but I will never forget where I came from. Gozo will always be in my heart, and it will not remain an afterthought," Borg said. He promised that if elected to govern- ment, the PN would ensure that Gozo is finally recognised as a region in Mal- ta's constitution, adding that this would help the island succeed. He highlighted Gozo's enormous potential, describing the island as having its own identity. "A PN government will make sure that Gozo is not only mentioned before an election and then never given priority," Borg said, repeating his promise to in- vest in a hospital for Gozo to ensure bet- ter care for the elderly. The Opposition Leader insisted that the PN has Maltese traditions and hob- bies at its heart, promising to protect hunting and trapping if elected prime minister. Appealing to Labour voters who feel like political orphans but are afraid to turn away from the PL, Borg noted that four former Labour candidates chose to contest the election with the PN. The leader offered an apology to vot- ers who had drifted away from the PN, whether because they felt hurt by the party in the past or no longer believed it represented them. Extending a hand of friendship, he said this was the moment to believe in change once again. Borg al- so appealed to those who have lost faith in politics, urging them to take this op- portunity to vote for change. "This is the time to put an end to ar- rogance and hate, to put an end to the politics of red and blue," Borg said. "It is time to look at the national interest and the common good." The PN leader called for a politics of white and red, one that brings the nation together under its flag. "Other parties will try to scare you with the past, be- cause they are still living 13 years ago," Borg said. "But now I am here, and I am stuck on the future." While other parties view the GDP as statistics and numbers, Borg highlight- ed that for the PN a strong economy is measured in quality of life, adding that the party's electoral programme was built together with the community to solve its problems once and for all. "I am ready to serve you, but I can't do it alone. I need your help. Our country is calling us. The hour for Malta is with us. Now is the moment for people to stand up and say 'Here I am, I am ready to do my part,'" Borg said. "On 30 May our choice is not between red and blue, it is about Malta's future. Do we want more of the same, or a breath of fresh air?" The event concluded with the nation- al anthem, and was also addressed by Kerċem Deputy Mayor Abigail Micallef and San Lawrenz Mayor Noel Formosa. The PN leader addressed a mass meeting in his home district of Gozo on Tuesday (Photo: PN) EVA BRANNON ebrannon@mediatoday.com.mt