Prime Minister Robert Abela's center-left Labour Party (MLP) has won an unprecedented fourth term in Malta's general elections, preliminary results showed Sunday. Abela, who campaigned on the strength of the economy, had been widely expected to win.

"This is a victory of all the people based on the program we presented for all the people," Abela told reporters, saying the outcome showed his party had "won a strong mandate." "Let us maintain the spirit of national unity and move the country forward together," he added.

More than 340,000 people were eligible to cast ballots in Saturday's vote in the European Union's smallest member state. Turnout was 87%. Official results are expected later Sunday.

Leader of the opposition conservative Nationalist Party (PN) Alex Borg said, "It's not the result we wanted, but it's a very clear message. We will keep working to be a strong alternative for the country."

Abela, 48, called a snap election a year early, saying his government needed a new mandate to guide the country through the energy crisis triggered by the war in Iran. Polling ahead of the election had put his party as the clear favorite.

The PN had sought to present its 30-year-old candidate Borg as a fresh alternative who could bring political change after more than a decade of Labour rule. During the campaign, Borg railed against a country "in chaos," pointing to a strained health care system and power outages. Abela, meanwhile, campaigned on the strength of the economy since 2013, pledging competence and stability.

Source: www.dw.com