VALLETTA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Malta's opposition Labour Party won Saturday's parliamentary election, local media reported Sunday.
The gap between the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party, which has been in power for the last 15 years, could be as high as 11 percent, according to public television reports.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi from the Nationalist Party has conceded defeat.
A win for Labour would see Gonzi make way for 39-year-old Joseph Muscat, a former member of the European Parliament who is calling for a change in direction for the next five years on the island state.
The Nationalists took Malta, which has a relatively thriving economy, into the European Union in 2004 and introduced the euro in 2008.
Some 309,000 registered voters cast their ballots between 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) and 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) Saturday and the voter turnout was 93 percent, according to the Electoral Commission.
Complete results were expected later on Sunday.
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