Maltese voters are taking part in the tiny Mediterranean state's general election for the first time since it joined the EU in 2004.

The incumbent conservatives are pitted against their traditional rivals in the Labour Party, which has ceased to gain power for nearly the entire past two decades.

Labour Party leader Alfred Sant, 60, has pushed an anti-corruption platform while the 54-year-old incumbent Premier Lawrence Gonzi has run on economic achievements.

Voting began at 7:00 a.m. (06:00 GMT) on Saturday morning and will end at 10:00 pm the same day.

Although voting is not mandatory in Malta, voters generally produce turnouts topping 95 percent.

In the 2003 vote, the Nationalists won 34 seats against Labour's 31.

Malta is the smallest member state of the European Union. It gained independence in 1964.

HSH/GM