Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has called a snap general election for 3 June, a year before the end of his term.
Responding to allegations by a prominent blogger of improper business dealings by his wife, he said: "Everybody knows about the attacks made in the past few days on me and my family.
"I have nothing to fear because truth is on my side and I am clean."
He said: "My duty, however, is not just to protect myself but also to safeguard my country, and I will not tolerate a situation where jobs are lost because of uncertainty.
"We cannot allow uncertainty to slow the rhythm of Malta's economic miracle."
He told a rally of his ruling Labour Party that he would ask the president of Malta to dissolve parliament.
Malta currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union.
Mr Muscat was elected with a strong majority in 2013 and opinion polls in two newspapers yesterday showed Labour leading the opposition Nationalist Party by four percentage points.
Mr Muscat has been buoyed by a strong economic performance including record low unemployment, a government financial surplus and steady growth in excess of 3.5%.
