Monday, 8th June 2009 - 16:55CET
UPDATED - Steve Borg, Demicoli eliminated
Nationalist candidate Edward Demicoli has eliminated from the European Parliament vote-counting process as counting from Saturday's election continues at Naxxar.
Mr Demicoli was eliminated on the 11th count, following Labour candidate Steve Borg, eliminated on the preceding count. 427 of his second preference votes went to David Casa and 264 to Roberta Metsola Triccas. The rest were distributed among the other candidates, including 10 for the PL's Edward Scicluna and 11 for Norman Lowell.
The focus is now on the distribution of votes won by AN leader Josie Muscat, who won 1,426 votes. The second preference given in his votes comay uld have a bearing on which of the main parties wins the sixth seat, with the difference of surplus votes having narrowed, although it is still some 4,000 in the PN's favour.
The worst-performing candidates are eliminated one by one, with their votes distributed to the other surviving candidates on the basis of second preferences.
The PN had started the day optimistic that the seat was likely to go to its candidates - probably Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas.
However doubts started creeping when, with the election of Simon Busuttil, 1,000 of his votes were not inherited by the other PN candidates.
All the independent candidates and the candidates of the small parties have been eliminated other than Arnold Cassola and Norman Lowell who won 5,235 and 3,559 first count votes respectively.
Much also depends on the redistribution of votes given to the least successful of the PN and PL candidates.
The focus is on how many of the inherited votes will go to Dr Metsola Tedesco Triccas and to Marlene Mizzi, who would be Labour's best placed candidate for the sixth seat (and Labour's fourth) if Joseph Cuschieri beats her to the third seat which the PL is expected to elect.
So far only PN candidate Simon Busuttil has been elected.
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Comments
Please note that you used 'hunters' and 'open mind' in the same sentence. I do not think that is allowed.
So according to you Mr. Demicoli's personal opinion overrides party policy. Party policy as stated by Dr. Gonzi, that defending hunting was a PN commitment.
So if Demicoli or any other candidate's personal opinion was in favor of abortion, would he still be allowed to ride the party wagon and lobby in favor of abortion as part of his campaign in order to win votes?
Certainly not is your definite answer. So why only hunting?
So really, Mr. Demicoli's personal opinion on hunting was only "used' as it could win a few anti hunting PN votes that the PN feared loosing.
So now you know why hunters have an "open mind" and decided to vote for who they know is not fooling them. Results speak louder then words.
All the anti spring hunting campaigning and the expected support from NGO's resulted in a total fiasco.
As I have always stated, consistency is always rewarded. Take Dr. Simon, Busuttil's result as an example.
In 2007 he was the only PN party member that publicly stated that hunting in spring of 2008 should be opened in line with PN guarantees.
He definitely did not need to resort to controversy to achieve results.
Unfortunately the carrot you were told to hang in front of peoples noses failed to attract more then a few donkeys.
The PN need not fear appeasing hunters. If it had any doubts about the GREEN votes it could lose by doing so, these election results are the best indication of such unfounded fears.
Typical hunters open mind.