Maltese vote in general election with some firsts for nation

By KEVIN SCHEMBRI ORLAND
Associated Press

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Voters in Malta are electing a new Parliament and deciding which party will be in government for the coming five years. Results of the general election on the Mediterranean island nation are expected Sunday. The election will see a few firsts for Malta: Youths as young as 16 can vote; a gender-balance mechanism may kick in to ensure more equal representation in Parliament; and electronic vote counting will be used. There are two major political parties in Malta, the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party. Labour has been in power since 2013.