"Joseph Muscat was not my first preference but now it's not important whether he was my first or second choice. There was a pretty clear decision. Mr Muscat now has an opportunity to prove himself.

"He has a tough task ahead and I hope he is given the space to assert his character and deliver what he promised but for now I think one should stop there and give the man at least 100 days before passing judgment.

"His potential pitfalls are listed in Labour's election defeat report, even though the document does not really make a distinction between cause and effect. It's like everyone carries some blame. I think the sentence which strikes me most in that report and which Mr Muscat would do well to keep in mind is that in Labour 'there are some who think the party is in debt with them'. I think that is the biggest potential pitfall. Mr Muscat has to recognise these people and cut them to size and he has to do that in the first 100 days."

Claire Bonello, columnist

"I think Joseph Muscat's youth could work for or against him. Judging by what I've heard, it will mostly work against him and he can only make a success of his post if he jettisons those elements within the Labour Party, the previous leadership and the administration which were a total and abject failure... it's clear who they are - it's the people who didn't know how many new voters there were and who kept certain statistical information to themselves.

"Unless he gets rid of them, I think he's dead in the water.

"I think if Dr Muscat is really serious about giving George Abela something then he should offer him a serious post, not one of these tokens.

"It would be seen in a very positive light by those who are a bit wary of him.

"Having said that, I don't think we should write him off before he's even started."

Joe Saliba, PN general secretary

"I am pleased to see that the Labour Party is starting with its reform. I think two electoral defeats together with a referendum loss should have been enough to set the red light flashing but the party needed another defeat to make it realise this.

"Renewal is not about changing faces. Labour doesn't only need to change faces, it needs a change from the bottom up... a change in thought, in vision. It also needs a change in principles because I feel that a lot of Labour's principles don't hold today.

"At least the process has started and that is something positive not only for the Labour Party but also for the country.

Some day or other the Nationalist Party has to lose, that's democracy and there should not be change for the sake of it but because there is a party that can offer alternative solutions and which can give the PN a good challenge. Frankly, it would also be good for the PN if that happens."

Kenneth Zammit Tabona, columnist

"Mr Muscat is facing an uphill battle. Firstly he has to convince everybody he is nobody's puppet and he has to carry out a complete overhaul of the party infrastructure.

"He also has to convince floating voters like me that he is leading a potential all-inclusive government. Labour needs to find an ideology, which has been completely hijacked by the Nationalist Party.

"His age is certainly in his favour. He is charming and he has the gift of the gab. He has a pretty wife and PR-wise it can work. I believe he can morph his party into 'Muscatmlp' the same way the Nationalists successfully orchestrated the 'Gonzipn' campaign.

"We have a party in government which is past its sell-by date with a very good leader.

"Now the MLP can do the same thing. The ball is completely in their court."