First election since joining EU, euro zone

This report by Alessandra Rizzo for the Associated Press was published by numerous media outlets around the world. From MSNBC:

Maltese were voting Saturday to pick a new parliament and prime minister, after a hard-fought election campaign dominated by one issue: whether this tiny island wants change after two decades of nearly uninterrupted rule by the same party. Voting began at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT). It is the first election since Malta joined the European Union in 2004 and the euro zone earlier this year.

In keeping with the tradition of a nation where all is quiet except politics, this campaign has been a fierce battle featuring corruption charges, libel suits and even a last-minute arrest warrant for a party leader. "There is this big divide, red and blue, not necessarily ideological but tribal," says Saviour Balzan, editor of the Malta Today publication..

The big question facing the island's 315,000 voters _ almost 80 percent of a population of 400,000 _ is whether they believe it is time to give somebody else a chance...Opinion polls ahead of the vote suggested a slight lead for the Nationalists, but the Labor Party has been eroding the gap and analysts expect a very close race. "This is a small society but a very complex society where there are a lot of small shifts," Balzan said, adding that any small group of voters could possibly sway the election by shifting toward one or the other candidate.

The Nationalist Party has focused its campaign largely on Gonzi, 54, who has a reputation for charisma and charm. He has proposed tax cuts that he said would benefit the middle class, and has taken on environment issues. Sant, 60, has campaigned aggressively on charges of corruption against the Nationalist Party and the government. A couple of state offices have been tainted by corruption scandals, and Sant promises better governance and more transparency if he is elected.

Two smaller parties are also running: the far-right National Action and the Green Party, whose leader Harry Vassallo received an arrest warrant Wednesday in a case concerning Value Added Tax returns, according to Maltese media. He denies any wrongdoing and questioned the timing of the arrest warrant...