Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat casts his vote during Malta's snap general elections in his home town of Burmarrad, Malta, June 3, 2017. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

VALLETTA (Reuters) - Maltese voters cast ballots in a snap election on Saturday called by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who has sought to fend off corruption allegations leveled at his wife and associates with a campaign touting the island’s solid economic performance.

Muscat, leader of the Labour party whose five-year term was due to end next year, is running for a second term against opposition leader Simon Busuttil, who is leading the Nationalist Party into parliamentary elections for the first time.

Party officials on both sides expect high turnout among the Mediterranean island nation’s 342,000 eligible voters, who can cast ballots until 10 p.m. (2000 GMT).

There are 224 candidates standing for the election for the 65-seat parliament, with results expected on Sunday morning.

Opinion polls gave the 43-year-old Muscat and his Labour party a 5 percent lead but also showed many voters were undecided until the vote. The president will ask the leader of the party that wins the most votes to form a government.

Muscat called the early vote a month ago, saying they were vital because of the corruption allegations that he said risked creating uncertainty that could undermine economic growth.

Busuttil and the Nationalist Party had demanded Muscat step down over allegations of improper business dealings by his wife and some of his associates. Magistrates are investigating the allegations. Muscat has described the claims against his wife as the “mother of all lies”.

Muscat is hoping the island’s robust economy will help him to a second mandate. Economic growth is running at about 6 percent, unemployment is at a record low of about 4 percent, and wages and pensions are rising.

The 48-year-old Busuttil, a lawyer and former member of the European Parliament, has said doubts tied to the corruption scandal risk undermining Malta’s reputation, particularly in financial services, which account for a fifth of the economy.</s>Valletta (dpa) - Malta‘s Labour Party is heading towards a second mandate Sunday, with opposition leader Simon Busuttil conceding defeat within an hour of vote counting.



Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, 43, has seen off a challenge from Busuttil, 48, of the centre-right Nationalist Party, after a tense four-week election campaign. 



"It is clear that the people have chosen to stay the course," Muscat told the state broadcaster, shortly after initial counts showed his party leading by up to eight per cent. 



Official results are expected later Sunday. 



Voters cast their ballots for a new government on Saturday in snap parliamentary elections called by Muscat a year ahead of schedule amid a corruption scandal connected to the Panama Papers document leak.



Malta, the smallest member of the European Union with around 430,000 residents, holds the rotating presidency of the EU until the end of June.



Muscat‘s government has been in hot water as a result of the Panama Papers, a massive data leak out of the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca in April 2016 that detailed how money was being funneled to shell companies in tax havens.



The leak revealed that Muscat‘s Chief of Staff Keith Schembri and former energy minister Konrad Mizzi owned secret companies abroad. 



Muscat says he called a snap election to eliminate economic uncertainty, but the opposition insists claims of corruption will not dissipate through a popular vote.



The Nationalist Party also produced documents that it claims show that Schembri received kickbacks from a controversial cash-for-passports scheme, while Mizzi is said to have benefited personally from a power station project.



Muscat, Schembri and Mizzi have strongly denied the claims.</s>Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told supporters on Sunday he had won a snap parliamentary election that he called last month amid a corruption scandal. “The people have clearly chosen to stay on the road to even greater results,” Muscat said, referring to the strong performance of the Mediterranean island’s economy during his first mandate.

Nationalist Party rival Simon Busuttil conceded defeat on Twitter. “I have just called Joseph Muscat to concede. As always, we respect the decision of the electorate,” he wrote.

Official results from the vote have yet to be announced, but party supporters from all sides are following the count. Muscat’s Labour Party had polled about five percentage points ahead of his rival going into the June 3 election. Muscat called the vote about a year early to fend off corruption allegations levelled at his wife and associates.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>Malta's prime minister is claiming victory in early elections called to consolidate the government's position, saying unofficial results indicate a "sizeable" win for his Labour Party.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told Malta's national broadcaster on Sunday (4 June) that voters had "chosen the positive campaign of the Labour Party as against the negativity and bitterness of the Nationalist Party".

Official results will be released on Monday. A victory would give Labour a second five-year term.

Muscat called the snap elections a year early following an investigation into allegations his wife owned a company related to the Panama Papers scandal. They deny any wrongdoing.

The Panama Papers leak exposed the identities of the rich and powerful around the world with offshore holdings in Panama. Those fingered also included Muscat's energy minister Konrad Mizzi. Mizzi was the only incumbent minister of an EU nation identified in the leaks. He stepped down from his position soon after.</s>Valletta (dpa) - Malta‘s Labour Party cruised to a landslide victory on Sunday in a major vote of confidence for Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, despite the claims of corruption that dogged his government. 



Party projections showed the Labour Party won 55.2 per cent of the vote against the centre-right Nationalist Party‘s 44 per cent, much higher than the five per cent projections reflected in polls. 



Muscat, 43, saw off the challenge from Simon Busuttil, 48, after a tense four-week election campaign in which the prime minister was under siege for retaining his chief of staff and a prominent minister who were accused of having secret companies in Panama.



"The people have confirmed their trust in this movement, despite it being the target of one of the most negative campaigns in our country‘s history," Muscat told thousands of supporters who gathered outside the party headquarters.



Malta, the smallest member of the European Union with around 430,000 residents, holds the rotating council presidency of the European Union until the end of June.</s>Labour supporters take to the streets to celebrate after early results indicate a comfortable victory for ruling party.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has declared victory in Malta's snap election after preliminary results showed his Labour Party heading towards a second mandate.

A sample count of ballots on Sunday showed Labour having a majority of more than 30,000 votes, equivalent to nearly 10 percent of the electorate.

"It is clear that the people have chosen to stay the course," said Muscat, who called the snap vote to counter allegations of corruption against his wife and some of his political allies.

Simon Busuttil, the leader of the opposition Nationalist Party (PN), made a telephone call to Muscat to concede defeat in Saturday's election.

"As always, we respect the decision of the electorate," Busuttil said in a tweet.

After the announcement of the preliminary results,Labour supporters took to the streets in celebration, gathering near party clubs and waving flags.

A crowd gathered near the party's headquarters and workers were erecting a stage at the granaries in Floriana, Times of Malta reported.

The turnout was 92 percent of the more than 340,000 eligible voters, the election commission said. Official results are expected later on Sunday.

Muscat, 43, is expected to be sworn in on Monday, after which he will begin forming his new government that will have a five-year mandate.

During the election campaign, Muscat promised continuity and greater wealth for a country that has the lowest unemployment rate ever at 4.1 percent - the third lowest in Europe - and in 2016 registered a budget surplus for the first time in three decades.

The victory indicates that there will be no major disruption to the business of the European Union, whose presidency Malta holds until the end of this month.

Shortly after polls closed, Malta's President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca called for a process of reconciliation to begin after what she called a campaign full of "aggressive and abusive language" both by politicians and the public.

"I want to see people returning to open dialogue, which is the basis of a healthy democracy," she said.

Muscat, who has been prime minister since 2013, went to the polls a year after his wife was accused of being the beneficial owner of a secret Panamanian shell company used to bank unexplained payments from Azerbaijan's ruling family.

His chief of staff and a government minister have separately admitted having their own, previously undeclared Panama-registered companies, following revelations from last year's massive data leak from the Mossack Fonseca legal firm based in the Central American country.

Muscat has come under fire for not sacking the two of them.

The PN had warned that even if Muscat won the election, he would still remain under pressure as magistrates investigate claims of corruption made against him and his ministers.

Muscat has however denied any wrongdoing and promised to quit if any evidence emerges of his family having an undeclared offshore account.</s>Valletta (dpa) - Malta‘s Labour Party is heading towards a second mandate, according to the first counts from party agents early Sunday.



Joseph Muscat, 43, has seen off a challenge from Simon Busuttil, 48, from the centre-right Nationalist Party, after a tense four-week election campaign. 



"It is clear that the people have chosen to stay the course," Muscat told the state broadcaster, shortly after initial counts showed his party leading by up to eight per cent. 



Busuttil conceded the defeat within an hour of vote counting. Official results are expected later on Sunday.</s>Maltese voters cast ballots in a snap election on Saturday called by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who has sought to fend off corruption allegations levelled at his wife and associates with a campaign touting the island's solid economic performance. Opposition and Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil casts his vote during Malta's snap general elections in his home town of Lija, Malta, June 3, 2017.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Channelnewsasia.com.</s>Malta is voting in snap general elections called against a backdrop of corruption allegations that have tarnished Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's government.

Malta, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, has also warned that it has become the target of cyberattacks that experts say come from Russia.

Opinion polls indicate that 43-year-old Muscat's Labor Party (PL) will retain power with a reduced majority.

Up to 30 percent of the roughly 340,000 registered voters remain undecided, giving hope to Simon Busuttil's opposition Nationalist Party (PN) of a last-minute swing in voters' opinion in his direction.

Muscat called the election a year early after his wife, Michelle, was accused of being the beneficial owner of a secret Panamanian shell company used to bank unexplained payments from Azerbaijan's ruling family.

The prime minister's chief of staff, Keith Schembri, has admitted having his own, previously undeclared Panama-registered company.

Media reports also alleged that Schembri accepted bribes from the sale of Maltese passports to wealthy Russians.

Last month, Muscat said that Malta's security services had been alerted to possible Russian interference in local affairs.

Relations between Russia and Malta have soured recently, mainly after Valleta's refusal to allow Russian warships heading to Syria to refuel in Malta.

Sources in the Maltese government said the country had become a target of increasing cyberattacks.

Security experts say the Fancy Bear -- a hacking collective that is often associated with the Kremlin -- is a prime suspect.

The election is taking place weeks after the country's tax policies also came under scrutiny in a journalistic probe depicting the small Mediterranean island state as a tax haven.

Polls close at 10 p.m. local time (2000 GMT/UTC). First results are expected on June 4.

Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, and The Guardian</s>Maltese voters are casting their ballots in a general election that was called against a backdrop of corruption allegations against the centre-left government of Joseph Muscat, current prime minister.

Final opinion polls before Saturday’s vote pointed to 43-year-old Muscat's Labour Party (PL) retaining power with a reduced majority.

Ballot stations are expected to close at 10pm (20:00 GMT).

The PL came to power four years ago after it swept into office on a redistributive, pro-business and socially liberal platform, which has sustained Malta's recent economic success story.

However, polls show that with 20 to 30 percent of the 341,856 registered voters still undecided in the final days of the campaign, analysts had not ruled out a surprise change of government as a result of the fallout from the so-called Panama Papers revelations.

Simon Busuttil, the leader of the opposition Nationalist Party (PN), has framed the vote as a choice between change and allowing Malta's international reputation, and its prosperity, to be shredded by a series of scandals.

Muscat went to the polls a year early after his wife, Michelle Muscat, was accused of being the beneficial owner of a secret Panamanian shell company used to bank unexplained payments from Azerbaijan's ruling family.

"It would have been the easiest thing in the world for me to weather the storm on the seat of power, while waiting for the magisterial inquiry to clear my name before calling an election," he said.

 

"However, in those few months the economy would have been damaged and jobs would have been lost," he said in defence of his decision to go to the polls.

The premier's chief of staff and a government minister have separately admitted having their own, previously undeclared Panama-registered companies, following revelations from last year's massive data leak from the Mossack Fonseca legal firm based in the Central American country.

READ MORE: Panama Papers - Why some of this is perfectly legal

Muscat came under fire for not sacking the two men.

The allegations against his inner circle have since broadened to include claims that kickbacks were paid in relation to an investment-based citizenship scheme, a gas supply deal with China, and bank licensing.

Shortly before calling the election, Muscat asked a magistrate to look into the allegations against his wife and promised to quit if he was shown to have an undeclared offshore account.

An antiquated manual vote-counting system, being used for the last time, means no reliable indicator of the result will be available before midday on Sunday.
Voters in Malta go to the polls for a snap election, with current Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his Labour Party facing off against Forza Nazzjonali, led by Simon Busuttil. The election comes amid corruption allegations leveled against Muscat's associates.