Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545159
9 maltatoday | MONDAY • 1 JUNE 2026 NEWS ELECTION 2026 KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt THE turnout for the 2026 gen- eral election is two-points high- er than four years ago with all districts showing increased vot- er participation, the Electoral Commission has confirmed. Official figures published just after midnight, which include the numbers for early voting, show that the highest increas- es were registered in the 5, 7, 8 and 11 districts. In each of these districts, the turnout was slightly higher than two points. In the 2022 general election, the 5 and 7 districts returned a Labour Party majority, while the 8 and 11 districts returned a Nation- alist Party majority. The 5 District, which in- cludes Żurrieq, Birżebbuġa and neighbouring villages, saw vot- er participation increase by 2.1 points over the 2022 election. A similar increase was regis- tered in the 7 District, which includes the localities of Rabat, Żebbuġ and Dingli. The 8 District, which includes parts of Birkirkara and Naxxar, exhibited the largest increase in voter participation with the turnout being 2.3 points higher than 2022. The 11 District, which is only made up of Mosta and Attard, saw the turnout increase by two points. The higher voter participation came as a surprise but it seems the political parties managed to mobilise voters throughout a five-week campaign, described as "serene, calm and mature" by President Myriam Spiteri Debono. The turnout was highest in the 7 District at 89.7%, fol- lowed by the 5 District at 89.5% and the 13 District at 89.4%. The lowest turnout was re- corded in the 12 District, which includes St Paul's Bay, at 81.4%. This district has traditionally registered the lowest turnouts. Nonetheless, voter turnout in 2026 was still 1.4 points higher than 2022. Highest turnout increases in 5, 7, 8 and 11 districts 0 1 district 2 district 3 district 4 district 5 district 6 district 7 district 8 district 9 district 10 district 11 district 12 district 13 district 1 district 2 district 3 district 4 district 5 district 6 district 7 district 8 district 9 district 10 district 11 district 12 district 13 district 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 2003 2008 2013 2017 2022 2026 Voter turnout since 2003 Voter turnout 2022 vs 2026 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 1 district 2 district 3 district 4 district 5 district 6 district 7 district 8 district 9 district 10 district 11 district 12 district 13 district 2022 2026 Voter turnout 2022 vs 2026 Voter turnout since 2003