The elections for two deputy leaders of the Labour Party enter a second round this evening after none of the seven candidates obtained an absolute majority of votes last night.
In a surprising outcome, Anġlu Farrugia and Toni Abela obtained the highest number of votes but failed to clinch the posts of deputy leader of parliamentary and party affairs respectively for just a handful of votes.
Dr Farrugia was 14 votes short of the required 50 per cent plus one, Dr Abela was 33 votes short.
A police officer who had studied law and then left the force to work as a lawyer, Dr Farrugia wants to instil discipline in the party's parliamentary group. He first contested the elections with Labour in 1996 and has been in Parliament since then. He unsuccessfully challenged then party leader Alfred Sant in the leadership contest following Labour's 2003 electoral defeat. He had also contested the post of deputy leader in 1998.
Outspoken Dr Abela wants his party to offer a credible and strong opposition and become the natural choice for the electorate. He wants to bring party members closer to party structures, involving them in all decisions to be taken. He has served as president of the party in the late 1980s.
Chris Cardona (parliamentary affairs) and Gavin Gulia (party affairs), who were considered by many as the favourites for the posts, will be contesting the second round today.
Dr Gulia embarked on his political journey as a local councillor in Żebbuġ. He first contested the general election in 1996 and has been an MP since. Although an MP, he still preferred the post of deputy leader for party affairs. Dr Gulia wants a more externalised vision and to help the party project progressive and moderate politics.
A lawyer, Dr Cardona claims to have the same political vision as Dr Muscat. He would like to see Labour welcome moderates who believe in social-democratic politics as well as the progressives who want to see the country move forward and become a European country with a clear agenda.
Dr Farrugia obtained 48.5 per cent of the votes cast (409 votes). He will be challenged this evening by runner up Dr Cardona, who got 245 votes (29 per cent). Deputy speaker Carmelo Abela, who was also contesting the post, obtained 22.5 per cent (190 votes).
The election for deputy leader for party affairs will this evening be contested by Dr Abela and Dr Gulia.
Dr Abela obtained 390 votes (46.2 per cent). Dr Gulia got 295 (34.9 per cent).
The other two contenders, Joe Mifsud and Clyde Cassar, obtained 17.6 (149 votes) and 1.2 per cent (10 votes), respectively.
A total of 850 of the 889 delegates, including 98 in Gozo, cast their preference in both elections yesterday. In the election for deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, there were two invalid votes and four abstentions, in that for deputy leader for party affairs three votes were invalid and there were three abstentions.
The seven contenders were the first to vote together with party leader Joseph Muscat and Opposition leader Charles Mangion in the three-hour-long process which started at 6.30 p.m. Voting in Gozo took one and a half hours instead of three in order to allow time for the boxes to be brought to Malta.
The counting process started at 11 p.m. and the official result was out at 12.30 a.m.
Voting and counting of the two elections took place simultaneously.
Before the voting started, the party's Electoral Commission chairman Joe Falzon thanked deputy leaders Charles Mangion and Michael Falzon for their work within the party as deputies.
A surprise visit to the headquarters was made by George Abela, Dr Muscat's main rival in the leadership election. As soon as he entered the hall, Dr Muscat went down the stage to meet Dr Abela, hugged him and took him up the stage to the delegates' applause.