Which stories will dominate 2026?

After a relatively quiet year for domestic news, 2026 promises to deliver major developments to stories that have dominated front pages for years on end. We run through some of the stories likely to lead the news agenda over the upcoming 12 months.

Malta could return to the polls in 2026. File photo

Election watch

Political buffs have turned the practice of predicting an election date into an art, but they are likely to have their work cut out in 2026.

Robert Abela recently ruled out the prospect of an early election, effectively quashing the suggestion that Malta could be heading to the polls as early as March.

However, party insiders told Times of Malta that the possibility of a November election is looking increasingly likely.

This would mean a short electoral campaign kicking off on the heels of an October budget that Abela has already started talking up, with a new government in place before the Christmas season begins.

Time will tell whether this will come to pass or whether Abela will stretch out his government’s term to its limit, with an election taking place in early 2027.

Investigators at the site of Caruana Galizia’s assassination in 2016. File photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination court proceedings come to an end

In 2025, Malta edged closer to the end of a story that has dominated Malta’s news cycle for the past half decade, with members of the Maksar criminal gang jailed for life for their involvement in the murders of Carmel Chircop and Daphne Caruana Galizia.

However, court proceedings in the latter case are set to reach a conclusion over the coming months. By this time next year, it is possible that all persons charged with involvement in Caruana Galizia’s assassination will have stood trial.

Regardless of their outcome, the repercussions are likely to reverberate across Malta’s political sphere throughout the year.

Joseph Muscat entering court for a sitting in 2025. File photo: Matthew Mirabelli

What next for the Vitals case?

The case against former prime minister Joseph Muscat and several other top government officials over fraud ground to a crawl throughout 2025 as prosecutors found themselves unexpectedly battling to have star witness Jeremy Harbinson take the stand.

Harbinson’s reluctance to testify has thrown the case into turmoil.

Rather than discussing details of the alleged fraud, sittings have been dominated by administrative bickering, with defence lawyers calling for the inquiry report, which forms the backbone of the case, to be expunged.

How the case will play out remains to be seen, but political insiders say it is unlikely to have a dramatic impact come election season, with most people having already nailed their colours to the mast, either way.

Protestors calling for the controversial planning bills to be withdrawn. File photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Will the government push through ‘developers’ wish list’ planning reforms?

A controversial plan to overhaul Malta’s planning laws raised the ire of environmental groups in 2025, with environmentalists dubbing the two bills “a developer’s wish list”.

The government has since put the proposed bills on hold, belatedly opening them up to public consultation; however, it has rejected calls for them to be withdrawn altogether.

Planning Minister Clint Camilleri has already announced plans to scale back some of the bills’ more controversial elements, but insiders say there remains disagreement over other provisions that have angered environmentalists.

With the consultation now closed, a revamped version of the bills is likely to be tabled in the coming months.

Whether the changes go far enough to quell the anger of environmentalists and dispel fears that developers have a grip on the country’s political class remains to be seen, but could well come to define the government’s green credentials.

Delta Airlines will be launching direct flights between Malta and JFK Airport in New York in July. Photo: Shutterstock.com

Tourism industry stretches its wings

Stories about tourism frequently dominate the summer months, often sparked by misbehaving tourists and concerns about overtourism.

Things could be slightly different in 2026, with the introduction of direct flights to New York in June likely to be on people’s lips, despite them initially costing twice as much as existing options.

Tourism authorities say the introduction of long-haul flights to the US marks a key step in the government’s plans to bring higher-spending tourists to Malta over the next decade.

With direct flights to Qatar also having been introduced last year, plans for direct travel to other far-flung destinations could be on the cards throughout 2026.

The government has promised to return Manoel Island to the public. File photo

Following through on Manoel Island promise

In perhaps 2025’s most extraordinary development, activists campaigning for Manoel Island to be returned to the public scored a major victory, securing a pledge that the development planned for the area would be scrapped and the island turned into a national park.

Promises for other national parks in White Rocks and Fort Campbell were to follow in the latter part of last year, as the government sought to up its green credentials.

But 2026 will be the year authorities have to move beyond the promises, and resolve the tricky legal and administrative hurdles to get the projects off the ground.

In the case of Manoel Island, it will also have to address the brewing legal dispute with MIDI, as the two sides continue to exchange harshly-worded legal letters on the road to a possible out-of-court settlement.

Authorities have hinted at stricter laws on social media use. Photo: Shutterstock.com

Social media ban for minors

After the social media frenzy of the past two decades, the tide appears to be turning, with more countries floating the idea of cracking down on social media access for minors.

Australia was the first to take the plunge, barring under-16s from social media in December. The European Parliament has backed a call for similar measures closer to home.

Malta, too, has promised to tighten regulations, launching a public consultation into the matter in early December.

With the consultation set to run for the next two months, it is unlikely that Malta will take any action until later in the year; however, details of the plans could trickle out throughout the coming months.

Transport Minister Chris Bonett will have his plate full this year. File photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Mass transport plans finally leave the station

Last but definitely not least, Malta’s mass transport plans are likely to generate heated debate among petrolheads, cyclists and pedestrians alike.

The long-promised plans appear to now be centred on a Copenhagen-style light-rail system carrying commuters from Malta’s towns to its commercial hub in the harbour area.

However, details of the plans remain scarce, with a promise to announce Malta’s mass transport system by the end of 2025 being pushed into the new year.

And, crucially, the system’s €2.7 billion price tag will need to receive the blessing of a sceptical finance minister.

In the meantime, transport authorities will have their hands full fighting off a legal challenge which has stalled the launch of a ferry service between Sliema, Buġibba and Gozo, while completing works on a proposed ferry service between Marsascala and Valletta.