Updated 4.15pm

Partit Demokratiku leader Marlene Farrugia said she had received several death threats over Facebook. 

Tensions have been heating up in the run up to the election, with partisan comment slowly turning sour as the country is divided down party lines.

Godfrey Farrugia publicised the threat on his Facebook wall. Photo: Facebook/Godfrey Farrugia

The threats had reached such an extent that her partner, former Labour Party whip Godfrey Farrugia this morning said he would be filing a police report about them.

"Some hot head thinks they have the ability to threaten my partner Marlene's life... because she expresses her thoughts as a citizen and party leader," the former PL whip wrote on Facebook this morning.  

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He said the threats had been posted by people using fake Facebook profiles, with a 'Mario Baldacchino' singled out. 

Dr Farrugia expressed dismay at the "cowardly" posts and said he would be filing a police report about them. 

Contacted by Times of Malta, Marlene Farrugia said the threats had increased exponentially in recent days, receiving warnings even through the post. 

"I keep being told I'm digging my own grave. Another said I had only four days to go in this world," she said.

The independent MP, who defected from the Labour Party, however insisted she would not accept police protection, saying it would be a waste of public funds. 

The President's husband Edgar Preca also took to Facebook today in a bid to calm things down on the back of “disgusting” comments hoping Labour children would contract cancer.

He said he was outraged by some posts on Facebook wishing Labour Party supporters’ children would contract the illness. He also expressed disbelief that some had commented on Nationalist Party deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami’s health struggles.

“Let's look to what unites us and not what splits us apart. Let's show some maturity,” he said in a public social media post.

Earlier today Prime Minister Joseph Muscat appealed for calm heads, when asked about a number of online comments to this effect.

“We have to rise above this sort of thing as a country. After all, on June 4th, whatever the result, we will still all be Maltese,” he said.