The Nationalist Party has lost one of its two seats in the second electoral district after it managed to elect only party leader Lawrence Gonzi, with Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici's seat being taken up by Labour deputy leader Michael Falzon who was contesting an election for the first time.

That was not the only surprise on the second district. Former Labour MP Chris Agius lost the battle for a seat in Parliament when he was eliminated from both the districts where he contested - the second and third. He won 1,531 first count votes on the second district and 365 on the third.

His place in the second district was taken by Labour candidate Helena Dalli. The second electoral district is the only one in which all the MPs were elected by yesterday evening. The other MPs elected were Stefan Buontempo and Joe Mizzi, both from the MLP.

According to the change in the voting pattern, the MLP is likely to snatch another three seats from the PN in the first, seventh and the 10th electoral districts. However, this has to be determined after all the counts are over.

Another disappointing result was certainly that of former Labour deputy leader Joe Brincat who contested the first and fourth electoral districts and was eliminated in both. Similarly disappointing, outgoing Competitiveness Minister Ċensu Galea and outgoing Education Minister Louis Galea did not make it to Parliament, with the latter having been elected from both districts in the last election. Sports journalist Robert Cutajar, a new candidate on the 12th district did not make it. Lawyer Franco Debono may take Helen D'Amato's seat in the fifth district.

PN candidate Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who was targeted by the Labour Party during its electoral campaign with claims of corruption over land in Mistra, has already been elected on the seventh district and stands a good chance of doing the same on the 11th district.

Labour candidate Gavin Gulia lost his seat to that of surgeon Anthony Zammit, who carried out Labour leader Alfred Sant's surgery late last year. Mr Zammit must have cashed in on the sympathy of Labourites towards Dr Sant as he was seen by many as Labour's hero for "saving" their leader.

Also from the Labour camp, Parliament will see other new faces. Marlene Pullicino will follow her estranged husband - Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando - into Parliament. Tony Agius Decelis and Anġlu Farrugia both stand a chance of being elected in the 11th district.

Lawyer Beppe Fenech Adami follows in his father's footsteps, President Eddie Fenech Adami, who was PN leader and Prime Minister.

PN candidates Francis Agius and Tony Abela are both struggling to retain their seats because they seem to have been adversely affected by the changes to electoral boundaries.

The following candidates were elected on the first count: Dr Sant, Karl Chircop, Silvio Parnis, Karmenu Vella, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Charles Mangion and Anton Refalo for the Malta Labour Party; Dr Gonzi, Tonio Borg, Tonio Fenech, Michael Gonzi and Giovanna Debono for the Nationalist Party.

Meanwhile, earlier yesterday morning, as people gathered outside the President's Palace hoping that the Prime Minister would be sworn in, the Chief Electoral Commissioner Edward Gatt called on the President to present him with a report of the official first count votes as well as the official turnout figures. This report gives the PN a relative majority of 1,580 votes.

Mr Gatt explained the electoral process and what took so long for a clear indication of the result to emerge, adding that the process was smooth and without any serious hitches.

Dr Fenech Adami thanked the commissioner and his staff for their sterling work carried out both prior to the election as well as during the counting process, which is still under way.

According to the report, the PN received 143,468 votes or 49.34 per cent of the ballots cast while the MLP won 141,888 votes or 48.79 per cent. In 2003, the PN garnered 51.80 per cent and 51.81 per cent in 1998.

All indications point to the PN losing four seats, in the first, second, seventh and 10th electoral districts, which will be made up for under recent constitutional amendments guaranteeing proportionality between votes and seats in a two-party Parliament.

The MLP increased its vote tally by 1.28 per cent over 2003. In 1998, when a snap election was called after only 22 months in power, the MLP won 46.98 per cent of the votes but lost the election.

When compared to the last election, Alternattiva Demokratika increased their vote count considerably, up from 1,929 in 2003 to 3,810 this election, or 1.31 per cent of the votes cast. But contrary to what they had been expecting - and have been expecting since the party was formed - AD failed to elect an MP because voters again favoured the present two-party system.

In view of the amendments to the electoral districts, one cannot calculate the swings in favour of one party or another by district, except in Gozo where there was a swing of 3.4 per cent in favour of the MLP.

Alpha Liberal Democratic candidate Emy Bezzina garnered 21 first-count votes while Azzjoni Nazzjonali, the party of former Nationalist MP Josie Muscat and businessman Anġlu Xuereb, received a total of 1,461 first-count votes, or 0.50 per cent. Forza Malta won eight votes, the Gozitan Party received 37 and the independent candidates got 22 votes between them. Far-right candidate Normal Lowell, contesting on the Imperium Europa ticket, got 84 first count votes.

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