Gonzi in first public appearance since Polling Day

A triumphant Lawrence Gonzi yesterday addressed an ecstatic mini mass meeting outside the Nationalist Party headquarters in Pietà for the first time since his election victory was announced on Sunday.

Visibly emotional, Dr Gonzi, accompanied by his wife, children and their partners, was greeted by a euphoric crowd as they emerged from the commotion onto the balcony of the PN's central administration block, together with candidates and party officials.

The crowd's already electrifying enthusiasm stepped up a notch when Dr Gonzi emerged onto the balcony and thanked everyone - from the Maltese and the Gozitans to youths, party activists, the PN media and even their MLP counterparts, immediately silencing the booing that broke out on their mention.

"No, my friends," he said. "Together, everything is possible," he stressed, reiterating the slogan that dominated his electoral campaign over the last five weeks and emphasising the word "together".

The spontaneous meeting started to form outside the PN headquarters when supporters got wind of the fact that Dr Gonzi would be addressing them from there.

By the time he turned up at about 1 p.m., the crowd had spread into and down every road that leads to the square, growing tighter and tighter, and the excitement had built up in the anticipation, climaxing on Dr Gonzi's appearance. Speaking over the deafening din of foghorns and consistent cuts in the sound system, punctuating his address with pauses, Dr Gonzi held up the victory sign to the crowd.

Announcing a mass meeting on the Granaries, in Floriana, at 6.30 p.m. today, he appealed to supporters to celebrate calmly and sensibly. "I expect this present from you," he said.

Speaking to the press soon after, Dr Gonzi said it was an emotional moment of satisfaction for everyone, but also of unity - where the whole country comes together to form a new government for Maltese and Gozitans.

"Our message from the onset was that we need to work together. Our country will get stronger the more we are capable of working together - even with those who have differing opinions," Dr Gonzi said.

He was proud that Malta had displayed maturity in being able to experience a difficult democratic process in a positive way, adding that he drew most satisfaction from the fact that the Maltese emerged stronger from it.

Dr Gonzi said it was too early to name Cabinet members as some results were not yet out.

Speaking about the government's aims, he said it would continue to lead the country towards more success. "Malta has great adventures ahead, but also new and important challenges that other countries are facing. In the electoral campaign, I never held back from saying that the country still had challenges to face.

"We need to roll up our sleeves as fast as possible and start working towards results for the country. What we achieved over the last legislature should serve as encouragement for the coming years," Dr Gonzi said.