Velletta 4 Jun (ANA) - Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has won the snap general election he called a month ago amid corruption allegations concerning his wife. The full results have yet to be announced. But Mr Muscat claimed victory based on projections and the opposition's Simon Busuttil conceded. The Labour PM called the poll on 1 May saying the corruption allegations risked undermining the economy. He and his wife deny claims she owned a secret offshore company in Panama. The issue of the company, alleged to have received payments from Azerbaijan's ruling family, was first brought to light by a well known Maltese blogger. Projections based on preliminary results gave Mr Muscat's Labour Party a lead of 10%. More than 340,000 people were eligible to vote in Saturday's poll.

Opinion polls in the run-up to the vote had suggested a 5% lead for Mr Muscat, who is now set for a second five-year term in office. The election was called a year before the end of his first term.(ANA)

FA/ANA/4June 2017------