Prime Minister of Malta, Robert Abela, yesterday led the Labour Party to a third successive general election win, securing a majority in parliament. On the same day, Deputy Minister President of Saarland Anke Rehlinger led the SPD to victory in the state election – securing a Social Democrat majority there for the first in over 20 years. Rehlinger is now set to become state premier, ousting the centre-right incumbent.
The heads of government of seven EU member states – Germany, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Malta – hail from the PES family on top of many regional social democratic governments.
Welcoming the results, PES President Sergei Stanishev said:
“I send my congratulations to Robert and the Labour Party on their landslide victory. This is an impressive, and hard-won, result. The Labour Party has promised a better quality of life, new opportunities and a more beautiful country, and it will deliver for everyone in Malta.
“I look forward to continuing welcoming Robert to our pre-summit meetings in Brussels. He is an important member of our growing line-up of social democratic and socialist prime ministers.”
On the Saarland result, Stanishev added:
“Anke Rehlinger’s leadership has achieved something remarkable: an SPD led Saarland. This has not happened in decades, and it is testament to Anke and the strong federal leadership of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. From local communities, to states, to the Federal Chancellery, the SPD is delivering a Germany of respect, fairness and sustainability. The Saarland result is yet another vote of confidence in this programme.”
