Update 4: Vote counting continues, first candidates eliminated
Vote counting is proceeding steadily at Naxxar counting hall with the second count completed shortly before Noon.
The focus has been largely on Nationalist MP David Casa, who after obtaining 6,539 votes on the first count, saw his votes rise to 21,779 votes as he inherited votes from Simon Busuttil. Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas's votes rose to 9,772 (from 5880) while Vince Farrugia has 6,374 (from 4056).
Some of Dr Busuttil's votes went to the PL, with Louis Grech gaining 95 and another 92 to Edward Scicluna. Arnold Cassola (AD) inherited 302 votes and 66 went to Norman Lowell.
Dr Busuttil was elected early this morning with a record of 68,782 first count votes. Mr Casa got 6,539 votes.
Cecil Herbert Jones, who only won 47 first count votes, was the first to be eliminated, his votes distributed among the other candidates. The process continued with the elimination of John Spiteri Gingell (AN) in the third count and Nazzareno Bonnici (Tal-Ajkla) in the fourth. Reuben Attard (Imperium Europa) was eliminated in the fifth count and the votes of Emmy Bezzina in the sixth. Most of Dr Bezzina's votes went to AD and Norman Lowell, with 21 going to the PL and eight to the PN.
See the reaction of our bloggers and The Times writers to the European Parliament elections result:
Fr Foe Borg: Elections: On solace and soul searching
http://www.timesofmalta.com/blogs/view/20090608/fr-joe-borg/elections-on-solace-and-soul-searching
Andrew Borg Cardona: AND THE RESULT IS IN
http://www.timesofmalta.com/blogs/view/20090607/andrew-borg-cardona/and-the-result-is-in
Lino Spiteri: Puddings and pies
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090608/opinion/puddings-and-pies
25 Comments
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A. Galea
Jun 10th 2009, 08:47
@ Maria Cardona: Why getting surprised, there are people who don't know how to vote!
@ m.j.brincat: Who got most ones? Who got most twos? And this when there was an intensive campaign to give 2 to Metsola, which apparently did not happen since the sheep decided to vote from up to down. It is obvious they don't get much ones since the 1s were meant for the B i.e. Busuttil. Do I have to explain everything?
m.j.brincat
Jun 9th 2009, 22:07
i can not understand why some people are accusing the pn for voting alphabetical order.
because apperently Marthese Portelli and Roberta Metsila got more 1s than Cini, Deidun and Demicoli. And Demicoli got less 1s than Calascione...
Maria Cardona
Jun 9th 2009, 15:38
Without even mentioning which party i support, the thing that is amazing me most is how many people there are on here that do not know the correct spelling of the word 'alphabet or alphabetical)!!
A Galea
Jun 9th 2009, 09:35
Bottom line of it, thanks to how the PN supporters have voted, has hindered them the possibility of Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas to become the 6th seat, most probably giving it to Marlene Mizzi. Thank you very much :) lol
A. Zammit
Jun 8th 2009, 19:20
@ m.j.brincat: You are just confirming that you ARE a sheep that follows and believes everything. If partnership did not exist, so how did Russia obtain it? Not only a sheep mr brincat, but also with the head in the sand and believes only what blue media tells you.
m.j.brincat
Jun 8th 2009, 17:54
this is so retarded to accuse the voters sheep just because they happened to be B and C. i for one, voted 1 and 2 to Busutill and casa respectively because i wanted to give them the 1 and 2 and not because i had no idea to whome i was going to vote for. And i tell you who are the SHEEP! Sheep are those people who supported Partnership just because their leader came up with thiis partnership thingand all the mlp were all cheering for partnership (even though it never exsisted) and then when thier leader started to yes to eu after the defeat of the partnership than all the red supporters started saying "oh yea eu is good"..that is being sheep.
A. Zammit
Jun 8th 2009, 16:39
@ Matthew Borg: Why ridiculous? Busuttil and Casa (B) and (C), are alfabetical.
A. Zammit
Jun 8th 2009, 16:37
@ G. Galea: What has Gonzi have to do, has he candidated himself for the European Parliament? Guess not. @ All other PN apologists: So you think that you voted Busuttil and Casa as they are the best you have? If so I pity you. By the way, Louis Grech (G) and Edward Scicluna (S) are AFTER Joseph Cuschieri (C) in the alfabet, if you failed to notice.
A Mercieca
Jun 8th 2009, 16:06
@ PN Apologists: So you are no sheep? Voting for a man who passed all these 5 years running after the burden sharing for nothing and not caring about anything else, and for a man who was more here in Malta drinking coffee than in brussels makes you no sheep? And these are your best candidates? Come on...
MT Caruana
Jun 8th 2009, 15:30
@Joe Vella
"Just watch when Claudette Abela Pace drops; and you would quickly find out who the real sheep are."
It's Claudette Abela Baldacchino....and you call us sheep!!!!
L.Scicluna
Jun 8th 2009, 15:22
:) you r all making me smile kif qbiztu fuqu lil A.Zammit...... dan kollu juri bic-car kemm ma tifilhux taraw il-partit taghkom jikrolla filwaqt li qed jinbena moviment b'sahhtu !!
R. Grech
Jun 8th 2009, 14:39
@ PN Apologists: So for you it is a 'happen to have the first names' that they are to be elected? Just like 2004? And one of you told us to wait for Joseph Cuschieri or for Abela Baldacchino: but wait, there is Louis Grech and Edward Scicluna, with Marlene Mizzi after Joseph Cuschieri. Maybe G and S come before C in the alfabet? lol
M. Xuereb
Jun 8th 2009, 14:34
The order in which names appear in the big party lists does make a difference.
Most voters vote for the party rather than individual candidates. This explains why there is so little cross voting even though the parties are not too far away from each other in terms of what they are actually proposing and there were valid candidates across parties.
A significant percentage of voters either have no particular preference beyond an absolute preference for a party, or know only one or two candidates. In the former case, preferences are typically assigned to candidates in the order in which they appear on the list and in the latter case, the one or two familiar candidates get the first options and the rest get from no. 2 or 3 onwards, again in the order in which they appear on the list. Anyone who says that the order does not matter has never served at a polling booth or been to the counting hall.
I have experience of both scenes and I strongly believe that parties should determine the order in which candidates appear on their list in the best interest of their party - and of the nation.
A. Galea
Jun 8th 2009, 14:32
@ A. Zammit: These below are saying so since they forgot what they told them in 2004, and forgot to tell their people that this does not apply to 2009, but their people got confused and reverted to the 2004 system. And they call us pappagalli!!!
A. Zammit
Jun 8th 2009, 14:29
I don't think that 1st Louis Grech (G) and 2nd Edward Scicluna (S) are results of people voting because of the surname, since there are people before them. The same cannot be said of PN who have done so with Busuttil (surprise, surprise the first name) and Casa which has earned a lot of 2s (but for the apologists this doesn't make sense) is going to be re-elected. Also, saying that Casa is a valid candidate and that has worked hard (strangely he was always seen in a certain cafe in valletta when he was supposed to be in Brussels) is also out of order. Truth hurts it seems...
Matthew Borg
Jun 8th 2009, 13:44
@ A. Zammit
What a ridiculous presumption.
J Azzopardi
Jun 8th 2009, 13:04
@A. Zammit
So half Malta is sheep and what about the other half Mr Zammit?
Charles Sammut
Jun 8th 2009, 13:04
@ A Zammit
That applies to BOTH parties. I was at the counting hall and most of ABELA Baldacchino Claudette were 1's because the voter simply wrote 1,2,3,4, etc from the top down.
I saw another ballot sheet with 1,2,3,4, etc on the PL list, but upside down. Severe case of colour blindness.
G. Galea
Jun 8th 2009, 13:02
@A. Zammit
Your comment shows how parrots report their media. If i m not mistaken Gonzi does not start with an 'A' and yet he he is the PM. It happened that the most valid candidates in the PN list are Busutill and Casa.
Joe Vella
Jun 8th 2009, 13:00
@ A. Zammit
Your assumption that David Casa inherited most of the votes from Simon Busutill cause he was second on the list is without basis. If so as you are saying, then why did Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas was the second most recipient after David Casa followed by Vince Farrugia.
I suggest to you that the most obvious reason that David Casa was the major benefactor was in recognition to his hard work at the EU and the fact that he is an incumbent didn't hurt him as well.
To suggest that PN voters voted Simon Busutil first, then went top to bottom doesn't hold water.
Just watch when Claudette Abela Pace drops; and you would quickly find out who the real sheep are.
J Bajada
Jun 8th 2009, 12:51
@A Zammit
"the surname you have does the difference"...how come Vince Farrugia, Roberta Metsola and Marthese Portelli got more votes on the second count than Rudolph Cini, Alan Deidun and Edward Demicoli? Your comment does not make sense at all. PN voters have been "intelligent" enough to vote those members who really believe in Europe, and have been believing in Europe from the very start.
P Spiteri
Jun 8th 2009, 12:47
@ A Zammit
Suggest you wait till Joseph Cuschieri is elected and then you really can start counting the sheep.
A. Zammit
Jun 8th 2009, 11:41
So the PN voters again showed how 'intelligent' they are in voting, since the surname you have does the difference of whether (from the PN's voters) you get elected or not. Sheep at their best.
Stephen Galea
Jun 8th 2009, 10:30
"It is not clear if Mr Casa can be elected on the second count..."
The amount of surplus votes that Simon Busuttil has is 27,420. So even if all second preference went to David Casa (which is not the case), the maximum number of votes Casa could have in the second count is 33,959 - that's over 7,400 short of the quota. That makes it impossible for him to be elected on the second count.
Moira Cassar
Jun 8th 2009, 10:23
"It is not clear if Mr Casa can be elected on the second count"
Not even if Mr. Casa inherits all of Dr. Busuttil's No. 2 votes (impossible) can he be elected in the second count. Had this to be the case the maximum number of votes Mr. Casa can get to will be 33,959. The quota is 41,362. That's 7,403 votes short!
It's impossible.