Maltese vote in favour of joining EU

Malta's ruling Conservatives cautiously predicted victory over their Socialist rivals yesterday in an election result that would keep alive the island's attempt to join the European Union.

The voting was in effect a referendum on its international aspirations: joining the EU or setting off on an independent course under a party that once forged close ties with Libya. Nationalist leaders staked their optimism on the near-record turn-out of 97.1 per cent of the approximately 275,000 voters, which would favour them. Valletta - AP