Malta elections 2026: the incumbents and their record so far

By hook or by crook, the Labour Party has decisively held onto power for 13 years.

The party’s well-worn playbook basically boils down to using taxpayer money to strike deals with business interests close to their party, using their respective ministries to reward party loyalists, and exerting undue influence on puppet authorities which fail to act judiciously.

The large turnover in Cabinet since 2013 is reflective of the turbulent manner in which the country has been run under the tenure of Prime Minister Robert Abela and his disgraced predecessor, Joseph Muscat.

Of the 72 candidates nominated by the Labour Party for the 2026 general elections, 30 of them are either former or current members of Cabinet.

In the interest of ensuring voters are aware of the documented track record of individuals who’ve already demonstrated what they would do if entrusted with power, here’s a full recap of all the scandals they were associated with over the years.

Prime Minister Robert Abela

Prime Minister since 2022

The anointed heir to his disgraced predecessor’s corrupt administration. Arguably the only Maltese Prime Minister who has ever had to deal with a pandemic and multiple wars unfolding across the globe, in that order.

And most of all, a tried-and-tested populist for whom no U-turn is too far, who will confidently state that he will not call snap elections before doing so, who will launch a public inquiry after forcing his whole parliamentary group to vote against it, and who will become a staunch advocate for turning failed public-private concessions into national parks after claiming it was basically impossible to do so.

Also the only Prime Minister in the country to ever get sued for libel by an independent newsroom.

Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister since 2024

From his earlier, far more abrasive public presence as the Joseph Muscat administration’s Infrastructure Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism is now cultivating a more stately persona, effectively positioning himself as Abela’s second-in-command and possibly his nemesis.

However, Borg remains a creature of the Labour Party through and through, with his penchant for rafts of direct orders and jobs-for-the-boys, despite the change of portfolios and sudden acquisition of gravitas.

One wonders whether the Deputy Prime Minister has taken a dip in his entirely illegal pool as of yet this season.  Abela will surely not be invited.

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri

Home Affairs Minister since 2020

A close lieutenant of the Prime Minister whose incompetence is only surpassed by his total disregard for the lives of refugees and migrants.

After becoming a national laughing stock in the aftermath of a botched cannabis heist from a supposedly secure AFM compound, the Prime Minister nonetheless saved Byron Camilleri’s skin by magnanimously refusing to accept his resignation.

To this day, Camilleri continues to make headlines on a regular basis through a policy of relentlessly focusing on deporting irregular migrants, ignoring human rights advocates saving lives in the Mediterranean, and overseeing the most pliable police force the country has ever seen.

Justice Minister Jonathan Attard

Justice Minister since 2022

Another minister who appears to enjoy Robert Abela’s trust is Jonathan Attard, who directly oversaw some of the most contentious legal amendments proposed by the government during this legislature.

Besides being responsible for the administration of the country’s unbearably slow justice system, Attard is also Abela’s hatchet-man for the construction sector, supposedly in charge of spearheading reforms which have been widely panned by civil society.

On his watch, Malta’s rule of law has been steadily eroded, unlike the bank accounts of his loyal supporters, who seem to be having a wonderful time getting paid for work they never showed up for.

Culture Minister Owen Bonnici

Culture Minister since 2022

All Prime Ministers favourite Yes-Man who’s somehow shuffled through over a dozen ministerial portfolios since 2013 while still retaining some form of control over the culture sector, which is where he now appears to have settled during the past legislature.

Known primarily for his largesse with taxpayer money and shameless dishing out of public positions to close friends and allies of the Labour Party, Bonnici also has a track record of making big claims about upcoming projects, only to then fail to deliver them.

It appears Bonnici is driven to do whatever it takes to get re-elected this year, including by splurging on a campaign launch which was estimated to have cost a bare minimum of tens of thousands of euro.

Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon

Forced to resign from Cabinet in 2016, promoted to Social Policy Minister shortly after

One of the Labour Party’s foremost electoral strategists and a veteran within its structures, Falzon was forced to resign from his role as then-Parliamentary Secretary for Lands in 2016 in relation to the Gaffarena expropriation scandal.

Perhaps because of his stature within the party, Joseph Muscat had not only reinstated Falzon after the 2017 elections – he was effectively promoted to the position of Social Policy Minister, which he continues to hold to this day.

Since then, the only other major scandal he was associated with was the massive benefits fraud racket. Though Falzon was not immediately implicated in any wrongdoing, he did use all of his office’s weight to publicly persecute Roger Agius, one of the fixers involved in the racket.

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri

Gozo Minister since 2022

Following Clint Camilleri’s emergence as Labour’s point man in Gozo, the Gozitan lawyer was also handpicked to handle two other hot potatoes: planning and hunting.

In all three domains, Camilleri’s ruthless commitment to his party’s playbook has been consistent.

His track record includes a veritable pile of direct orders, major infrastructural projects running into millions of euro over-budget, the total subjugation of planning boards through the appointment of compliant individuals, the botched attempt at neutering all remaining environmental safeguards, and an endless list of concessions to the hunting lobby.

Camilleri also ‘helps’ out Robert Abela where necessary in property acquisitions in Gozo.

Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo

Agriculture Minister since 2022

A property mogul with an apparently insatiable appetite for ‘collecting’ historical artefacts, Refalo recently made international headlines over his now infamous ‘mafia villa’ in Qala, which allegedly housed Sicilian mafia boss Toto Riina when the latter was in hiding.

Besides Prime Minister Robert Abela, Refalo is also the only sitting Cabinet member known to be directly tied with a hotel business, even managing to tap into over a quarter of a million euro in EU funds to build an ODZ “yoga retreat” that later turned into a party venue.

More importantly, though Refalo’s ministry has issued substantial funding to support local farmers and laws to address a wave of evictions have been issued, Malta’s agriculture sector nonetheless suffers ongoing decline from the uptake of viable agricultural land for private development or recreational use.

Economy Minister Silvio Schembri

Economy Minister since 2020

Schembri, who’s been in his post for the past six years, has been the public face of Malta’s breakneck economic boom since his disgraced predecessor Chris Cardona was forced to resign.

Throughout this time period, Schembri’s overseen a purge of public records on the Malta Business Registry, used taxpayer money for exorbitant office leases and to recruit constituents, and several instances in which key state entities like Malta Enterprise fork out hundreds of thousands of euros to support entities which turn out to be fraudulent or bankrupt.

Given the central importance of the economy in the Labour Party’s rhetoric, Schembri continues to benefit from a high profile role in Robert Abela’s Cabinet.

Finance Minister Clyde Caruana

Finance Minister since 2022

If Economy Minister Silvio Schembri is the Maltese government’s economic cheerleader, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana likes to project himself as the straight-talker with a solid grip on Malta’s purse strings.

While Caruana has publicly gone against the grain several times by objecting to signing off on the government’s mass transport plans if deemed unfeasible and by signaling support against over-development in one of his constituent towns, one must also acknowledge Caruana’s central role in the impact of the government’s economic policy and the father of Malta’s overpopulation mess.

Known as the brains behind the government’s strategy to extract cheap labour from foreign workers and for his bullish stance on Malta’s burgeoning debt, it remains to be seen whether the Finance Minister’s optimism will prove correct in the face of a global energy crisis. At the same time, Caruana keeps signing for Abela’s irregular dircet orders to his friends and business partners.

Infrastructure Minister Chris Bonett

Infrastructure Minister since 2024

In just two years, the Infrastructure Minister’s quickly become a recurring feature on our website, largely because of his unfortunate habit of making dubious claims and facing widespread public scrutiny as a result.

From unsubstantiated claims like completing 1,000 road projects in the past two years to facing probes about unilateral decisions which were tailor-made to appease his constituents, Bonett has also attracted public opprobrium over the highly secretive manner in which €18 million were budgeted for a regeneration project in Marsaskala.

In that context, the public’s cynical response to Bonett’s presentation of the government’s rehashed mass transport plans means the minister will have a lot on his plate if he is reelected and reassigned the same portfolio.

Energy Minister Miriam Dalli

Energy Minister since 2022

Formerly one of the Labour Party’s rising stars in European Parliament, Energy and Environment Minister Miriam Dalli was co-opted into Parliament in 2020, shortly after Prime Minister Robert Abela was appointed as Muscat’s successor.

Though Dalli appears to be one of the government’s more sympathetic listeners when it comes to addressing people’s environmental concerns, it is evident the minister has struggled to deliver on both flagship urban greening projects as well as energy security and waste management.

An investigation carried out by The Shift in November showed that 80% of all “public parks” promoted by Dalli’s ministry are smaller than a standard football pitch, laying bare the limits of Dalli’s credibility as a minister responsible for the environment in a government that has largely failed to prioritise healthy living spaces over the years.

Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela

Health Minister since 2024

Abela was brought in to run the government’s quiet clean-up efforts in Malta’s battered national healthcare system after his disgraced predecessor Chris Fearne was forced to resign in the aftermath of the hospitals concession scandal.

After signing off on millions of euro in direct orders to expedite the urgent infrastructural investments required by Malta’s NHS after the fraudulent concession, Abela announced the government’s intent to spend a staggering €1.5 billion on refurbishing hospitals that were supposed to be fixed by the previous administration.

Much like pretty much everyone else on this list, Abela freely uses the health ministry as his own personal vehicle for hiring party loyalists, canvassers and even members of his family.

Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia

Inclusion Minister since 2022

While the Inclusion Minister is certainly not averse to using her ministry for blatant self-promotion, the relatively minor profile of her portfolio means Farrugia did not get as many adverse media mentions as her colleagues over the last couple of years.

One major, recent scandal implicating her ministry was exposed by The Shift, leading to the suspension of government payouts to a supposed care centre for autistic children whose director is currently facing sexual abuse charges in court.

Education Minister Clifton Grima

Education Minister since 2022

Following the embarrassing dismissal of Justyne Caruana, Clifton Grima was entrusted with one of Malta’s most vital ministries.

Grima’s approach towards this sensitive role has been cavalier at best, with projects being delivered late and over-budget and the minister refusing to be held accountable for multiple breaches of public service rules of conduct.

Despite the American University of Malta’s glaring failures, the Education Minister continues to cover up for the failed Muscat-era project by extending the institution’s license.

Parliamentary Secretary for Public Cleanliness Glenn Bedingfield

Parliamentary Secretary for Public Cleanliness since 2022

After making a name for himself among the PL’s hardcore as the party’s crude answer to Daphne Caruana Galizia – a role he was later grilled about during the public inquiry into her murder – Bedingfield also serves as a key linchpin for Labour voters in its traditional electoral stronghold in the second district.

Ever since managing to get elected to Parliament, Bedingfield was appointed to key parliamentary committees which were meant to scrutinise public spending but instead kept getting stonewalled by him and other Labour MPs intent on shutting down investigations into major government scandals.

Parliamentary Secretary for Youth Keith Azzopardi Tanti

Research & Youth Parliamentary Secretary since 2022

Considered to be an ineffective lightweight by his own party’s insiders, Azzopardi Tanti does not appear to have made much of an impression in his first stint as a junior minister.

In fact, our reporting on Azzopardi Tanti suggests that he has had to borrow clout from disgraced party heavyweights like former Economy Minister Chris Cardona and head of Project Green Joseph Cuschieri, using taxpayer money to pay Cardona and Cuschieri for “advice” they have no relevant expertise in.

Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Alison Zerafa Civelli

Local Government Parliamentary Secretary since 2022

Closely associated to the Prime Minister by virtue of being Lydia Abela’s sister, Alison Zerafa Civelli’s profile was deliberately elevated by the Labour Party through a raft of state appointments preceding her successful, first-time run for Parliament in 2022.

Prior to that, Zerafa Civelli served as Mayor of Bormla since 2022. Despite having spent almost a decade in a mayor’s shoes and now occupying a Cabinet role focused entirely on local governance, Zerafa Civelli has done little to reassure local councils that their longstanding concerns about over-development in their towns is being taken into account.

Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries Alicia Bugeja Said

Fisheries Parliamentary Secretary since 2022

Though ‘fisheries’ may seem like a relatively trivial portfolio, Bugeja Said is directly responsible for a major, million-euro industry in which corruption is rampant.

While it is clear that Bugeja Said continues a previously existing policy of refusing to address the overlap between criminal interests in the industry and high-ranking government executives, she has not balked at the notion of using funds extracted from the fishing industry to score votes with her constituents.

Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue Andy Ellul

Social Dialogue Parliamentary Secretary since 2022

A former police officer turned criminal lawyer who was already a Labour Party insider by the time it was first elected in 2013, Ellul’s profile as a junior minister is largely tied to the government’s questionable attempts to rein in the exploitation of foreign workers, a policy of its own design.

Prior his promotion to a Cabinet office, Ellul was also one of the government’s regular picks for parliamentary committees which were largely ineffective at adequately policing government spending.

Parliamentary Secretary for Active Ageing Malcolm Paul Agius Galea

Active Ageing Parliamentary Secretary since 2024

A relative newcomer to the Labour Party’s fold, Agius Galea’s track record as an MP is mostly notable for its lack of any kind of impact.

Entrusted with the sensitive role of chairing Parliament’s Health Committee, Agius Galea was forcefully removed from his position after failing to call a meeting in two years, with no explanation. It appears his tenure as junior minister has been equally unremarkable, with our only recent reports on Agius Galea referring to how his family members were awarded government positions.

Parliamentary Secretary for Equality Rebecca Buttigieg

Equality Parliamentary Secretary since 2022

Formerly Byron Camilleri’s communications advisor, Buttigieg was immediately appointed as a junior minister responsible for the equality portfolio after being elected as a new MP at the start of this legislature.

Buttigieg was most recently mentioned in our reporting after her decision to hire PBS editorial board member and veteran journalist Reno Bugeja as her communications advisor triggered an international media freedom alert.

So far, she has failed to make any impact.

Parliamentary Secretary for Public Works Omar Farrugia

Public Works Parliamentary Secretary since 2024

The government’s youngest member of Cabinet quickly adopted the Labour Party’s playbook after first being appointed to office two years ago, using taxpayer money to fund and extensively promote public works in his electoral constituency.

He frequently appears alongside Infrastructure Minister Chris Bonett during the government’s endless press conferences announcing routine refurbishment works.

Carmelo Abela

Forced to resign in 2022, stayed on as MP

After being named by one of the accused as an accomplice in the infamous 2010 HSBC bank heist, Prime Minister Abela renounced his role as Cabinet member but stayed on as MP, only intervening in Parliament to defend the policies of a government that cut ties with him but nonetheless rewarded him with a state appointment shortly after.

Chris Fearne

Forced to resign in 2024, stayed on as MP

Pending corruption charges in court did not stop disgraced former Health Minister Chris Fearne from making a comeback as a candidate for the Labour Party, whose executive committees in turn unanimously approved his nomination.

Rosianne Cutajar

Forced to resign in 2021, stayed on as MP

Despite the lingering reputational damage sustained by Cutajar herself and the Labour Party as a whole after her texts with alleged murder mastermind Yorgen Fenech were leaked publicly, Cutajar was fully reintegrated into the party’s structures. Her personal ties with a business conglomerate intent on taking over public coastline in Sliema once again cast her in the spotlight.

She will be rememberd most for the phrase ‘pigging out’.

Alex Muscat

Left out of Cabinet since 2020, stayed on as MP

Back in the heyday of Malta’s booming passports industry, Alex Muscat served as the Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship, a role he was not reappointed for after it became publicly known that he had received income from passport selling firm Nexia BT while he was a junior minister.

Anthony Agius Decelis

Lost parliamentary seat in 2022

Agius Decelis may have missed out on a seat in Parliament in 2022, but he most certainly did not miss out on the government’s gravy train, holding at least five government posts as of last year. On his watch as Parliamentary Secretary for Active Ageing, the government had approved a massive €274 million negotiated procedure contract for the development of St Vincent de Paule.

Franco Mercieca

Active Ageing Parliamentary Secretary between 2013 – 2014, last seen in Parliament in 2017

Mercieca’s career as an MP and junior minister was relatively short-lived because of the apparent conflict between his professional role as an eye surgeon and his responsibilities as the public official responsible for the active ageing portfolio. He failed to be re-elected to Parliament in 2017.

Deborah Schembri

Lands Parliamentary Secretary between 2016 – 2017, last seen in Parliament in 2017

Schembri was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for the lands portfolio during one of the most significant deregulation drives in the sector under the direct supervision of Joseph Muscat, briefly replacing Michael Falzon before failing to be re-elected to Parliament in 2017.