Election 2003

Last week's general election was unique in many ways. Not only did it determine and confirm Malta's choice to join the European Union, but also indicated voting patterns which may never repeat themselves.

Turnout in the March 8 referendum, which gave a clear majority to the Yes vote, was around four per cent less than the average for the previous four general elections - 96 per cent - which was the same as that on April 12.

It seems as if the MLP did manage to win back a sizable percentage of Labour supporters who voted Yes in the referendum. And considering that in the last local council elections, also held on March 8, Alternattiva Demokratika polled around 6% of the votes, it is obvious that when it caming to voting in a general election AD did not attract as many votes, winning just 0.7 per cent of the total.

Despite its victory, the PN too will have to do some soul-searching. Although it successfully focused the campaign on its efforts to get Malta into the EU, many of its supporters feel let down, while the outgoing government's record on certain aspects of the environment, left much to be desired. Yet the electorate recognised the importance of what was at stake, and handed the PN an unquestioned victory.

The Nationalist Party obtained 146,172 votes, or 51.79 per cent of all valid votes cast; the Labour Party received 134,092 (47.51 per cent) and Alternattiva Demokratika 1,929 votes (0.68 per cent). An independent candidate received 20 votes. The two main parties retained their parliamentary strength: 35 PN, 30 MLP.

Here is a district-by-district analysis of the election results.

1: Valletta, Floriana, Pietà, Hamrun, part of St Venera

The parties' strength remained more or less the same, with Labour showing a slight increase in their share. Things did however change on the PN side, especially since former deputy leader (and now President) Guido de Marco, who obtained over 3,200 votes in 1998, did not contest this time.

Minister Austin Gatt, reaping the fruits of his incessant, hard work, almost trebling his votes. He polled 3,618 first count votes compared to the 1,374 he got in 1998. Then he was only elected after Professor de Marco (who was also elected from the tenth district) vacated his seat. President de Marco's son, Mario, in his first attempt, managed to get elected at the expense of Dr Jean Pierre Farrugia, who was elected in 1996 and 1998. The third Nationalist candidate to be elected was outgoing Parliamentary Secretary Dr Antoine Mifsud Bonnici.

On the MLP front, party leader Dr Alfred Sant obtained 8,590 votes - 300 more than in 1998. The other Labour candidate to be elected was Dr Josè Herrera, who obtained 387 votes. He was elected on the 18th count. Dr Sandro Schembri Adami, who survived to the last count as runner-up, may be elected if Dr Sant (who was also elected from Birkirkara) gives up this seat.

2: Cospicua, Senglea, Vittoriosa, part of Zabbar, Xghajra, Fgura

Although Labour slightly improved its share, it still did not manage to regain the fourth seat it lost to the Nationalists in 1998 - despite the Mintoff factor (the former leader has moved much closer to the MLP leadership this time since his rift in 1998). In the event, Nationalist candidate Dr Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici (son of the former President, Ugo Mifsud Bonnici), with 2,087 votes, managed to improve his first-count total by over 200 votes and got elected on the 12th count, with just over 230 votes to spare over the quota.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi again emerged with the biggest amount of votes 3,945 but this was a drop of some 600 votes over 1998, possibly due to newcomer Dr Stephen Spiteri, who polled an impressive 785 votes.

Former minister Joe Mizzi was the last to be elected for the MLP, obtaining 2,840 first count votes - 564 less than in 1998. Outgoing MP Rita Law trebled her share to 2,463 votes, but this wasn't enough to retain her seat. She lost out to Architect Stefan Buontempo, who obtained an impressive 3,037 votes, from just 473 in 1998. Chris Agius retained his seat for the third consecutive time, also polling 3,037 votes.

Interestingly, the vociferous anti-EU campaigner Sharon Ellul Bonici, contesting her very first general election on the MLP ticket, obtained a creditable 1,108 votes.

3: Zabbar, Zejtun, Marsascala

Here, things did not change much in terms of party strength with Labour once more slightly increasing its share and the PN retaining its two MPs by a comfortable margin.

MLP deputy leader Dr George Vella got his most impressive result so far, polling 6,497 votes - up by more than 1,700 on 1998. The other elected Labour candidates - Helena Dalli and MLP youth spokesman Carmelo Abela - also did well, who consolidated their holds in this district, and obtained their best results to date, with 2,579 and 1649 votes, respectively.

For the PN, Dr Francis Agius too emerged with his best result, obtaining 3,058 votes as did Mario Galea with 3,127 votes and managed to get elected for the third time in his political career. One has to note that former Parliamentary Secretary Dr Joe Psaila Savona did not contest this time.

4: Marsa, Paola, Tarxien, Sta Lucija, Gudja

There was much competition on the Labour side since former Parliamentary Secretary Notary Joe Cilia did not contest this time. Here, deputy leader Dr Joe Brincat was the biggest beneficiary, almost trebling his 1998 total to 2,382 votes, slightly more than his total in 1992. But the real winner on the MLP ticket was Silvio Parnis, a former mayor of Paola, who topped the poll in this district with 4,157 votes.

The other Labour candidate to be elected, Dr Karl Chircop, also improved his share obtaining 2,653 votes, some 1,100 more than first-time candidate Alfred Mifsud, who surprisingly could only manage 1,510 votes. Sharon Ellul Bonici, who also contested this district, here received 518 votes.

For the Nationalists, newly appointed Minister Jesmond Mugliett however came a close second with 4,073 votes. His performance is the best of all PN candidates ever in this district and the best one for any PN candidate in the south for these elections.

Dr Jason Azzopardi managed to secure his representation and increased some 600 on his previous tally, polling 2302 votes. There was, as expected an encouraging first time performance for party president Dr. Victor Scerri who obtained 1304 votes.

5: Ghaxaq, Marsaxlokk, Birzebbuga, Zurrieq, Qrendi, Mqabba, Safi

Again, there were no changes in party fortunes in this Labour stronghold, which now again includes Qrendi.

There was one major upset in this district as former parliamentary secretary Dr Louis Buhagiar failed to be elected. Dr Joseph Sammut, who in 1998 managed to enter Parliament for the first time, after beating veteran politician Reno Calleja in a tense casual election, now secured a seat in his own right. Former Tourism Minister Carmelo Vella again topped the poll in this constituency, with 4,275 votes. MLP deputy leader Dr George Vella was also re-elected in this district and increased his tally by more than 1,200 votes, obtaining 3,050 votes. It remains to be seen who will be elected if he decides to vacate this seat.

It also remains to be seen who will be elected in the forthcoming casual election on the PN ticket as outgoing MP Helen D'Amato, newcomer Anna Schiavone and young lawyer Franco Galea got roughly the same amount of votes. They were still quite a long way, however, from unseating ministers Dr Louis Galea and Architect Ninu Zammit, who have been returned from this district since 1976 and 1981 respectively.

6: Kirkop, Luqa, Qormi, part of St Venera

The PN's share in this district declined by almost 3% over 1998. However, one should bear in mind that the small village of Kirkop, which has been included with it, is a Labour stronghold, so the PN could only elect two MPs. Few, however, expected that finance minister John Dalli, despite a fine PR campaign, would lose some 400 votes and that Clyde Puli would replace parliamentary secretary Dr George Hyzler. Puli added 712 votes to his 1998 tally, obtaining 2,821 votes, thanks to his hard work as a mayor and his exposure as a former DJ and radio producer.

Dr Hyzler's non-election will mean that the Maltese parliament will not have a Hyzler for the first time since 1951 (Dr Albert Hyzler and Dr George Hyzler senior, who belonged to different sides of the House, were long-standing MPs).

On the MLP ticket, Marie Louise Coleiro consolidated her hold with an impressive 4,439 votes, double her 1998 showing. She emulates past performances on this district by former ministers Lino Spiteri and Notary Charles Mangion, who himself got elected with fewer votes (2,208) than in 1998. Dr John Attard Montalto got 2,944 votes, his best tally since 1992.

7: Siggiewi, Dingli, Tal-Virtù, Zebbug, Attard, Mdina

This district, home to farmers, hunters, working-class communities and young professionals, again did not see major shifts in party loyalties despite major boundary changes. The major upset was suffered by Nationalist MP Michael Bonnici, who lost his seat after a keen competition with Dr Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, whose total nonetheless dropped by 946, to just 1,312 votes this time, although the presence of a new Zebbug candidate, Philip Mifsud, who obtained the handsome total of 898 votes, must have been a factor.

Popular TV and radio presenter David Agius emerged as the protagonist in this district, polling 2,095 votes on his first attempt. He got elected at the expense of Michael Bonnici, who managed only 1,228 votes this time. Education Minister Dr Louis Galea confirmed his popularity as he again got elected from this district, as he has been doing since 1992. The same cannot be said for Ninu Zammit and John Dalli; the former got only 660 votes while Dalli's 1,650 were not enough, although he was ahead of Dr Pullicino Orlando in the first count. Newcomers Robert Musumeci (mayor of Siggiewi) fared very encouragingly and if any casual election takes place here, the outcome should be quite interesting.

On the Labour side, Architect Charles Buhagiar and Dr Gavin Gulia were re-elected after fending off competition from favourite Alfred Mifsud and another newcomer, surgeon Anthony Zammit, who finished third with an impressive 1,709 votes. Former MP Albert Pace, who just missed out in 1998, dropped 743 votes, obtaining just 1,215 this time.

8: Birkirkara, Balzan, Lija, L-Iklin

The PN's share in this district dropped slightly yet it remains one of their strongholds. It also helped the Prime Minister Dr Fenech Adami break his own record in polling the highest amount of votes in Malta's political history - 11,537, or 53.1% of all the votes in the district and even breaks Mintoff's 52.1%, which he polled in the second district back in 1976.

This district also delivered a new Nationalist MP - Tonio Fenech, who had just been re-elected Birkirkara councillor (and re-elected mayor) on March 8 with over 3,800 votes, the highest ever polled by any candidate in a local election. He is also joined by Justice and Home Affairs Minister Dr Tonio Borg, who increased his first count tally by 141 obtaining 440 votes.

The two casualties in this district are outgoing Economic Services Minister Professor Josef Bonnici and former Birkirkara mayor Dr Michael Asciak. The latter lost out after just one legislature, whereas Professor Bonnici's loss comes after three successful showings. He was elected in two districts in 1996. However Professor Bonnici stands a good chance of making it to Parliament in a casual election, whichever seat Dr Fenech Adami gives up.

Labour leader Alfred Sant increased his vote over 1998, polling 6,560. He also helped elect Dr Chris Cardona who last time narrowly missed out and could only make it through a bye-election. This time, this fate awaits former minister Joe Debono Grech who lost out for the first time since 1976.

Alternattiva Demokratika were banking on electing an MP namely their leader, Dr Harry Vassallo, who had hoped to inherit enough second preferences from Dr Fenech Adami's surplus. In the event he inherited just 157 votes from the PM's surplus - PN voters evidently heeded their party's appeal to play safe and gave their second preferences to PN candidates.

9: Ta' Xbiex, Msida, Gzira, San Gwann, Tal-Balal

This district saw a slight upturn in the PN's share: it was just over 57% with Foreign Minister Dr Joe Borg hitting the apex of his political career with 4,753 votes, no doubt in recognition of his untiring efforts to take Malta into the European Union.

His votes also helped elect the newly-appointed parliamentary secretary Dolores Cristina, who managed to make it on her own steam - she was elected for the first time in 1998 in a casual election in the tenth district. Her success is significant, because this is not her home district.

Newly appointed Tourism Minister Dr Francis Zammit Dimech was elected for the third time in this district. The biggest casualty here was Dr John Vella, who lost almost half of his 1,493 votes in 1998. This time, he just managed 795. There were also an encouraging performance from former Gzira mayor Albert Rizzo, who polled 606 votes in his first attempt.

For the MLP, former minister Leo Brincat and Dr Adrian Vassallo were re-elected convincingly. Joseph Cuschieri also fared very well in this district, polling 1,130 first count votes.

10: Sliema, St Julian's, Swieqi, Pembroke

Labour fared rather poorly here with just 25.8% of the votes, their worst performance in any district since 1966 (22% in Gozo). Their debacle can be explained by their stand over the EU, which surely alienated a considerable number of voters.

The PN obtained their best ever performance here, obtaining almost 73%, thanks to a shift of potential AD votes. In fact this party obtained just 248 votes, although it managed to elect a Sliema councillor on March 8. Yet, their performance is the best for any district.

Minister Joe Borg was elected here too, and the other Nationalist MPs are Sliema mayor Robert Arrigo, in his first attempt, succeeding where his late father Ralph, also a Nationalist candidate in several elections, had failed. Dr Borg's and Mr Arrigo's success came at the expense of outgoing Tourism Minister Dr Michael Refalo and former minister Dr Michael Frendo, who failed to get elected although they bettered their 1998 performances.

Newly appointed Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Architect George Pullicino increased his tally by more than 400 votes, polling 2,653. Dr Francis Zammit Dimech was re-elected obtaining 2,141 first-count votes.

Dr George Hyzler's first attempt on this district polled him 920 votes, which is encouraging but still very far less than the other contenders. The by-elections here should nonetheless be very intriguing.

On the Labour side, Joseph Cuschieri's popularity in this district continued to soar. He polled 1,966 votes, just 100 votes short of former minister Evarist Bartolo, whose 2,072 votes work are around 700 fewer than his 1998 share. Nonetheless, Mr Cuschieri would have to wait for the casual election, as he did in 1998, to see whether he will make it again to Parliament.

11: Rabat, Mtarfa, Mosta

This completely reformed district confirmed three seats for the PN and two for Labour. The PN polled 54% of the votes to the MLP's 45%. As expected, Prime Minister Dr Eddie Fenech Adami got the lion's share here and obtained 8,934 first count votes. He helped re-elect Notary Dr Tony Abela, who obtained 1037 first count votes and Parliamentary Secretary Edwin Vassallo, who did very well getting 765 votes.

Former Labour minister Noel Farrugia was re-elected with 2,931 votes (3,556 in 1998). Dr Angelo Farrugia is the other Labour MP to be re-elected here. He obtained 2,057 and managed to fend off the challenges of newcomers Anthony Agius Decelis and Rabat mayor Charles Azzopardi and also of previous candidate accountant Joe Sammut.

12: Mgarr, Mellieha, St Paul's Bay, Naxxar, Gharghur

This district emerged as a PN stronghold. Although it was expected that the PN would win three seats here, few would have thought that its share at 62.1% would be the highest after Sliema. The last local council elections in this district did not give overwhelming majorities to the PN, except for the small village of Mgarr.

The PN returned ministers Dr Louis Deguara and Architect Censu Galea, and newcomer (and former St Paul's Bay mayor) Dr Michael Gonzi (the deputy PM's brother), who got 2,323 first count votes. Dr Deguara's 3,962 votes is his best performance ever. Censu Galea polled 3,409 votes, a slght drop compared to 1998.

Labour returned Evarist Bartolo, who actually slightly improved his performance slightly, to 2,486 votes. Dr Michael Farrugia, Labour's other MP here, polled more or less the same amount as in 1998 - 2,153 votes.

13: Gozo and Comino

In the sister island the PN's performance was very impressive. Its share of almost 59% is the best ever since 1992. Minister Giovanna Debono confirmed her huge popularity and as in 1998, polled the highest amount of votes after Dr Fenech Adami, adding more than 1,500 votes to her 1998 tally of 4,949, and obtained 6,591 votes - an all-time record for Gozo.

Former Speaker Anton Tabone also made a very impressive comeback and obtained his best ever result since 1987, with 1,985 votes. The third seat proved to be a very strong tussle between Nadur mayor Dr Chris Said, outgoing MP Victor Galea Pace and Frederick Azzopardi, with the latter retaining his seat despite starting off with 1,285 votes in contrast to Dr Said's 1,323.

For the MLP Dr Anton Refalo got an impressive 4,298 votes, repeating his 1998 performance. As expected, the seat vacated by outgoing MP Carmelo Borg provided tense competition. Teddy Busuttil surprisingly lost out immediately as he saw his fortunes drop by almost half what he got in 1998. He could only muster 696 votes this time. Newcomer Dr Justyne Caruana managed to take Mr Borg's seat, after overtaking Joe Cordina, who started off with 1,999 votes, 103 more than Dr Caruana's 1,896. She managed to balance out this deficit on the eighth count and eventually got elected on the 12th. At 28, Dr Caruana is likely to be the youngest MP in the new Parliament. She is also the first Gozitan woman Labour MP.