There will be at least seven new faces in Parliament this legislature, three for the Nationalist Party and four for Labour.
They are: Franco Debono, Beppe Fenech Adami and Chris Said for the PN and Anthony Agius Decelis, Luciano Busuttil, Marlene Pullicino and Anthony Zammit for the MLP.
The three Nationalists and Dr Busuttil are all lawyers, Mr Agius Decelis is an electro-cardiologist, Dr Pullicino a dentist and Mr Zammit a surgeon (he operated on outgoing Labour leader Alfred Sant last December).
Another MP, Jean Pierre Farrugia, will be returning to Parliament after an absence of five years.
With the counting process having been concluded yesterday and the Electoral Commission granting the PN four extra seats - as per constitutional changes - in order to enjoy a majority of one in a Parliament of 69 (four than in normal circumstances), the only process that remains is the casual elections for 12 seats that will be given up by candidates elected on two districts. (The constitutional amendment is triggered off when a party wins a majority of votes but not a majority of seats in Parliament, provided that only two parties are represented in the House.)
The commission gave the extra four seats to Dr Farrugia, former parliamentary secretaries Francis Agius and Edwin Vassallo, and former Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech.
They were the PN candidates who had the largest number of votes among those who failed to get elected during the counting process.
The PN candidates elected on two districts were Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, former Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, former Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech, Robert Arrigo and former Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina.
The MLP candidates elected on two districts are Dr Sant, deputy leaders Michael Falzon and Charles Mangion, Helena Dalli, George Vella and Evarist Bartolo.
Former government MPs who were not elected this time round are former Education Minister Louis Galea, one of the masterminds of the PN in the 1970s and 1980s, former Competitiveness Minister Ċensu Galea, former Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, former parliamentary secretaries Tony Abela and Helen d'Amato and MPs Joseph Falzon and Michael Asciak.
While Dr Galea and Ms D'Amato have completely lost their chance of election, Mr Abela, Mr Galea, Mr Falzon and Dr Frendo are in with a chance of gaining one of the seats given up by MPs elected on two districts.
The former Labour MPs who were not elected this time are Chris Agius, former deputy leader Joe Brincat, Joe Sammut, Gavin Gulia, Joe Debono Grech, Joseph Abela and Joe Cuschieri. All are still in with a chance of being elected in a casual election.
This legislature will have six female MPs: Ms Cristina (PN) and Ms Dalli (MLP), who were elected from two districts, former Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Justyne Caruana and Dr Pullicino.
Major surprises this election were the non-election of Dr Galea and Dr Zammit Dimech's struggle to win a seat after being elected from two districts last time round. Another surprise was Mr Galea, who never had any problem in the past getting elected from the 12th district.
Although still in with a chance of finding their way to the House, it was surprising to see Labour's Dr Brincat and Dr Gulia losing their support. On the other hand, Mrs Cristina's success and Mr Arrigo's election from two districts were also somewhat unexpected.