11 March 2008: Malta’s National Party won elections on Saturday, March 8 with a razor-thin lead over the opposition party in the Mediterranean island’s first vote since joining the European Union.  Supporters of the NP poured into the streets in celebration although the Labour Party had been refusing to concede defeat until complete official results were announced.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi thanked the hundreds of supporters gathered outside his office Monday as he prepared to take the oath of office on Tuesday.

Early returns show a near repeat of the 2003 vote when the NP won 34 seats and the LP won 31 seats in the 65-seat House of Representatives; however a final official count has not been released. Turnout this time was at 93 percent, which is actually an historic low for Malta.

Maltese politics are highly polarized and dominated by the two big parties.  Elections are traditionally close but this month’s vote was the tightest since Malta gained independence from Britain in 1964.

The NP won the 2003 elections by promising to join the EU with the LP opposing EU membership. This month’s vote was over Prime Minister Gonzi’s policies to continue integration with Europe. Mr. Gonzi, a former student of the George Washington University, has been in office since 2004.

Labour Party leader Alfred Sant, who was prime minister from 1996-1998, announced his resignation, just as all the leaders of the other smaller parties that lost are also stepping down from their positions.

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