The sorting of votes according to no.1 preferences has finally started almost two hours later than expected. This will lead to the first projections by the two major parties in
the next couple of hours. The sorting started later than expected after the voting
was extended by an hour on Saturday and the whole process was effected.
However MLP officials said there will be an absolute majority and a strong majority for one of the parties.
The lower turnout has already fuelled speculation that this
does not help the Nationalist Party in government. However political observers
are still cautious on the possible outcome.
Reports from around the Maltese Islands say Labour supporters are
already celebrating victory when in fact there is nothing from the
counting hall that shows which party has won.
All Vodafone customers who send a blank SMS to 50902008 will
receive SMS updates with breaking news on the general elections. Customers may
also send an SMS with the district number to 50902008 to receive specific
information about the selected district. SMS updates are available to both
prepaid and post paid customers. Each SMS costs €0.12 (Lm0.05).
For more details, including pictures and videos of the
electoral campaign 2008, see MaltaMedia's special feature on the 2008 Malta General
Elections.