Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545159
10 maltatoday | MONDAY • 1 JUNE 2026 NEWS ELECTION 2026 Abela calls on 'all people' to help lead country forward after historic fourth Labour win PRIME Minister Robert Abela thanked the public and called on all citizens, whether they voted Labour or not, to help move the country forward in his celebration speech. He was addressing thousands of supporters at a mass meeting in Fosos, Floriana on Sunday night following Labour's historic gener- al election victory. The result marks the first time any party has won a fourth con- secutive mandate since Malta's independence. "Never, in the history of this country, has a party been given a fourth consecutive electoral man- date," Abela told the crowd. "The people not only gave us an electoral mandate, they gave us a very strong one. At the same time, I accept this result with great hu- mility." Abela had called the snap elec- tion a year early, saying the gov- ernment needed a fresh mandate to shield the import-dependent is- land from geopolitical instability. He told supporters he intended to honour the public's trust in full, pledging five years of hard work to implement the Int Malta manifes- to. The prime minister described the campaign as one conducted with respect and fought on ideas, saying it was clear the public had once again chosen Labour's vi- sion, one he said had been shaped together with the people over recent years. He said that vision would now be pursued in a spirit of national unity, towards what he called a stronger Malta. Abela also paid tribute to La- bour's legacy, invoking the names of past leaders Pawlu Bof- fa, Duminku Mintoff, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Alfred Sant, and Joseph Muscat, saying their legacy was one he was now carrying for- ward through what he described as a historic achievement for the party. "This is not only my victo- ry," he said. "This victory is a pow- erful vote of confidence in Team Malta. And so this victory belongs to all of you." Turnout was higher than in 2022, with the largest increases recorded in several districts. Ab- ela welcomed the strong partici- pation, saying it showed Maltese people care about their country. Addressing those who did not vote Labour, Abela said his com- mitment was to serve them too, not just alongside them, but with them. He closed his speech by repeating the campaign's central message: Your dream, our project. Ian Borg and Alex Agius Saliba addressed crowds before Abela took the stage Before the Prime Minister spoke, Labour Deputy Leader for Par- ty Affairs Alex Agius Saliba and Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg both addressed the crowd at the Fosos. Agius Saliba opened by praising the thousands of volunteers who had made the campaign possible, and hailed the result as the largest victory margin Labour had ever secured, larger, he said, than any win the Nationalist Party had ever achieved. He called for national unity, urging Labour to remain an open movement welcoming all people of goodwill. "Let us learn from the mistakes of others," he said. "Let us keep that open movement for every- one." Borg, introduced alongside his wife Rachelle, told the crowd that the win was not Labour's alone but belonged to the whole coun- try. He called on supporters to set aside party colours from the fol- lowing day and come together as one people. "From tomorrow, we put aside the divisions," he said. "We unite, one country, one people." From left: Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg, Prime Minister Robert Abela, Deputy Leader for Party Affairs Alex Agius Saliba, and Abela's wife Lydia and daughter Giorgia Mae JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt Photos: Daniel Tihn/MaltaToday