The time is ripe for the country to continue building upon its successes, Robert Abela said on Sunday, as he said the next election will pave the way for more opportunities.

The Prime Minister said he will be asking the President to dissolve parliament in the coming hours, for a general election to be held on March 26.

Abela said "we can now look ahead with optimism. We have to see how to create more opportunities than ever before, now that the pandemic uncertainty is behind us."

Kicking off his speech by saying "Malta, the future is beautiful", Abela said the future will also be beautiful because "we are strong in the present" in spite of the challenges the country had to face, especially because of a pandemic, which sparked the biggest crisis in the world since the second world war.

Abela was addressing supporters who packed a tent on the Granaries, with many holding 'Robert 2022' placards. Within minutes of the announcement, billboards and streamers were seen being erected in different parts of the country. 

Malta, he said, had progressed under the Labour government and this was a fact that could not be denied by anyone.

Supporters holding Robert 2020 placards. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Abela said the government had invested more than €4 billion in businesses to help them thrive through uncertainties, the biggest certificate that this was a pro-market government. He stressed that a new Labour government will do its utmost to ensure a better income for all.

And in spite of rising fuel costs, the cost of electricity and fuel in Malta was the cheapest in Europe. The European Commission had also forecast that Malta would have the most dynamic economy in the EU both in 2022 and 2023.

Abela said he has a programme of changes he wants to implement together with the people, including the introduction of free medicines for the elderly, lower taxation and initiatives towards a greener Malta.

The pandemic had slowed down the process but he never stopped dreaming of a better Malta, where the environment once again became a source of progress rather being sacrificed, where the rule of law reigned supreme.

The election will dictate whether one wants to continue to progress or if they wanted to put their acquisitions in danger. 

"Labour is the future... we are the movement of reforms".

While Labour was focused on its plans, the Nationalist Party wanted to go back to the past.

Abela pledged more open urban centres in Malta in the future, with more open spaces and the chance to give people to enjoy nature.

Robert Abela announced a March 26 election. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli