The two main political parties collected nearly €700,000 between them on Sunday to fund their political activities.

The parties held a telethon on Sunday just a day before parliament reconvenes and in the run-up to MEP elections in June.

The PL collected €441,530, while the PN collected €248,182.

In a statement, the PL said the monies were pledged by supporters at the launch of the General Conference themed 'Insaħħu Malta Tagħna' (strenghtening our Malta).

Prime minister Robert Abela and the party's administration thanked contributors, saying the funds will strenghten the PL and its political will to prioritise the interests of the vulnerable. 

The PN's fundraiser was meanwhile themed 'Ħajja Aħjar f’Pajjiżna' (better life in our country).

The party said the funds will help the PN fight to ensure a better life for the Maltese.

Party leader Bernard Grech thanked donors, saying they were were the backbone of the PN's mission to improve life.

From time to time, party financing makes headlines as PL and PN continue to fail to name their major donors.

Parties are obliged to give the commission a detailed breakdown of donations they receive on an annual basis. 

However, the law on party financing only requires the parties to name the source of the funds when a donation exceeds €7,000. 

PL and PN both claim that their donations are given in small amounts.

Last year, both PL and PN failed to name a single major political donor for 2019, simply crossing out the section requesting the information in official documents.   

This year, only a donation of almost €15,000 from Bernard Grech to the Nationalist Party required disclosure in 2020, according to a report published by the Electoral Commission.