Prime Minister-elect Joseph Muscat made his long-awaited appearance on the balcony of Labour headquarters this afternoon to acknowledge the applause of thousands of people gathered at the MileEnd in Hamrun.

His appearance with Mrs Muscat threw the crowd into delirium as he was introduced as Malta's prime minister, to a cacophony of horns and cheers.

The delirium continued until later, when Mr and Mrs Muscat arrived on The Granaries in Floriana, where Dr Muscat was welcomed as 'Prime Minister Joseph Muscat'.

From the PL headquarters balcony, Dr Muscat waved with both hands at the sea of white and red flags, accompanied by PL deputy leaders Louis Grech and Tony Abela and other members of the party administration.

Dr Muscat said Labour was elected as a movement, and would govern as a movement.

"The sun has not risen for half of Malta, but for Malta as a whole, both for those who voted for change as well as our fellow Maltese who did not," he said.

This was not a Malta for the victors, but Malta Taghna Lkoll, he said to applause.

This, he said was the strongest mandate given by the people to a government since independence. It was a mandate which was so strong that it humbled him.

"The people have loaned us their trust to represent them all and that is what we will do," he promised.

He was promising, he said, that he would work as hard as he could for no one to feel a stranger in his own country.

"We will show that we believed what we campaigned for," he said.

He urged his listeners to help ensure that this was a government which would not cut itself off from the people.

He expressed particular gratitude to young people for having been protagonists, not spectators. "Now extend the arm of friendship for everyone," he stressed to cheering.

Another celebration will be held at The Granaries next Saturday, Dr Muscat told the ecstatic crowd.

The waiting crowd on the granaries.