Updated 12.15pm with clip of Busuttil voting

After a gruelling 33-day election campaign, voters across Malta and Gozo today heads to the polls in the 12th general election since Independence.

There are 333,485 eligible voters, since 8,372 reneged on their right to vote by not collecting their voting document. The number of uncollected voting documents is equivalent to 2.4 per cent of the voting population, very similar to what happened in 2013, when two per cent gave up their right to vote.

This is Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's second election at the helm of the Labour Party and his first as the head of government. It is Simon Busuttil's first electoral test as Nationalist Party leader.

Joseph Muscat casting his vote. Photo: Reuters

The electoral campaigns ended Thursday with the Labour and Nationalist parties holding mass meetings at the Ħal Far raceway and the Granaries in Floriana, respectively. The Labour Party has built its campaign on the need to continue on the economic road of success while the Nationalist Party focused mainly on the need to eradicate corruption. 

Partit Demokratiku's Marlene Farrugia was the first leader to cast her vote this morning. 

Dr Muscat and his wife Michelle cast their vote around 10am at Burmarrard. 

Speaking briefly to reporters, he urged people to go out to vote in what is an exercise of democracy.

Dr Busuttil cast his vote in Lija around an hour later with his partner Kristina and son. 

Voters will have a handful of political parties to choose from, making the ballot sheet busier than it was four years ago. The PL, PN and Alternattiva Demokratika will be joined by the Maltese Patriots’ Movement, Alleanza Bidla and two independent candidates.

Polling stations opened at 7am and should close at 10pm.

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, AD chairman Arnold Cassola and Archbishop Charles Scicluna also cast their vote.

And in Malta - never a dull moment. In Mgarr, a bride turned up to cast her vote all dressed up in her wedding dress. The photo of the bride below was posted by PN candidate Antoine Borg on his Facebook page.

Once the polling stations close this evening, attention will shift to the counting hall in Naxxar, where throughout the night, counting staff will place ballots face down and group them in packets of 50.

The all-important vote-sorting exercise, in which ballots are turned face up and placed in their respective pigeonholes according to the number one vote, is expected to start at 10am tomorrow.

If the result is clear, the political parties should be in a position to project the winner within an hour or so.

It will take longer if the result is very close.