It was just past 11am yesterday when the number one votes started being sorted and an eerie silence descended on the counting hall in Naxxar.
The party needs to sit down quietly and serenely, and look at the reasons whyit lost. There could be more than one reason but it willbe a mistake to make a superficial analysis
Party agents gathered behind the perspex made marks on tiny pieces of paper, which they passed to runners, who fed the data to the party boiler rooms inside the restricted area.
Barely 30 minutes in, Labour delegates started banging on the perspex as victory was apparent.
With tears in their eyes they ended years of frustration and shouted “tagħna lkoll”, an abridged version of Labour’s campaign slogan.
An accurate projection was possible so early because Labour’s advantage worked out to almost 37,000 votes – a landslide of historic proportions.
On the opposite end, Nationalist Party delegates were dejected as they digested a result nobody thought was possible.
Joseph Muscat also enjoyed personal success, achieving a record 13,968 votes in the second district and another 12,202 in the fourth. He surpassed former PL leader Dom Mintoff’s 1981 record of having more than 360 per cent of the district quota.
But Labour’s massive vote also translated into a nine-seat majority as the party gained seats across several districts.
In the south, a traditional Labour stronghold, the party obtained four seats in the second, third, fourth and fifth districts. Last night, the third seat in the eighth district was expected to go Labour’s way, as the third seat on Gozo remained in the balance.
Up to the time of going to print, Labour was set to retain its 3-2 majority in the first district and its commanding 4-1 hold on the second.
Yana Mintoff Bland, Dom Mintoff’s daughter, slumped badly in the first district and was not expected to be elected.
Mario de Marco and Jean-Pierre Farrugia were leading the PN pack in the first district, with deputy leader Louis Grech, Jose’ Herrera and family doctor Deo Debattista for Labour.
In the second district, Nazzareno Bonnici Ta’ l-Ajkla only got a handful of first count votes and was visibly heartbroken in the counting hall after his well-attended meetings.
The outcome for the big parties in this district was skewed because Dr Muscat and PN leader Lawrence Gonzi won practically all first-count votes.
Stephen Spiteri was second-placed after Dr Gonzi on the PN list.
Poised to win a fourth seat in the third district, Labour’s performance could be of little consolation to Helena Dalli, who looked at risk of losing her seat in this district.
Former minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici and Frans Agius were battling for the district’s only PN seat.
In the fourth district Joseph Muscat raced ahead with 12,202 votes. Newcomer and energy frontman Konrad Mizzi obtained 1,001 votes and was expected to be elected after Dr Muscat’s surplus was redistributed.
The fifth district – former Nationalist MP Franco Debono’s old district – saw former minister Jason Azzopardi ahead of architect and newcomer Anthony Bezzina. Austin Gatt’s former chief of staff, Manuel Delia, did badly. Incumbent MPs Karmenu Vella and Marlene Farrugia led Labour’s charge.
The sixth and seventh districts will remain unchanged with a 3-2 Labour majority.
A surprise for Labour in the seventh district was the brilliant performance of Dingli newcomer Ian Borg, 27. He said: “It is a big responsibility and our challenge now is to continue winning over people’s trust. We have to work every day for this to happen.”
In contrast, Labour MPs Noel Farrugia and surgeon Anthony Zammit may not be re-elected.
Last night it was uncertain if Marlene Farrugia’s new husband, Godfrey Farrugia, will follow her to Parliament from the seventh district.
Labour made exceptional gains in the eight district, a traditional PN stronghold, with a chance of winning a 3-2 seat majority.
However, PL veteran Joe Debono Grech was unlikely to get elected, making way for economist and MEP Edward Scicluna. In this district Labour had Chris Cardona – the second candidate to be elected yesterday – and newcomer Edward Zammit Lewis.
The PN was expected to retain its 3-2 majorities in the ninth, 10th and 11th districts.
New Labour candidate Manuel Mallia, a criminal lawyer, did well in the ninth and 10th districts.
George Pullicino led the Nationalists in the 10th followed by Robert Arrigo.
In the 11th district, former PL general secretary Jason Micallef did badly and was unlikely to make it to Parliament.
Lawyer and pro-divorce campaigner Deborah Schembri did well in the 12th district but had to battle it out with strong incumbents Evarist Bartolo and Michael Farrugia.
In the Gozo district Labour newcomer Franco Mercieca, an ophthalmologist, was the first to get elected, surpassing incumbent Justyne Caruana. Anton Refalo led Labour’s pack.
As expected, Giovanna Debono raked in the most votes for the PN, despite experiencing a drop in her numbers.
The slow counting process went on throughout the night and was to continue this morning.
After visiting the counting hall in the evening, PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil said he will resign his seat in the European Parliament next week to take his place in the Maltese Parliament.
He refrained from commenting on his future in the PN leadership structures, saying the important thing was for the party to reflect.
“The deputy leadership post is statutorily vacant after every election but it is too early to say what I will do. Now is the time to take stock.”
In the eighth district, Beppe Fenech Adami saw his personal vote tally increase over five years ago, a small consolation in defeat.
“It is a positive day for me if you want to put it that way and I thank all those for who voted for me,” he said.
“The party needs to sit down quietly and serenely, and look at the reasons why it lost this general election. There could be more than one reason but it will be a mistake to make a superficial analysis.
“One of the reasons for sure is that we have been 15 years in government.”
Former minister Mario de Marco also looked set to increase his vote tally but personal success was overshadowed by the PN defeat.
“We need to learn a lot from this experience. I think it’s not enough to say we will listen. There are different messages... Maltese society has changed radically and we have to accept this change. The PN cannot ignore it,” Dr de Marco said.
On the Labour side, incumbent MP Owen Bonnici said every vote represented a person and this put great responsibility on him and the party to deliver on its pledges.
In total, Labour was projected to win 38 parliamentary seats to the PN’s 27. A legal adjustment to ensure proportionality will give the PN two additional seats, bringing their total to 29.
Franco Mercieca
– first elected candidate
First-time Gozo candidate Franco Mercieca, an ophthalmologist, was the first candidate to be elected.
He made it with 3,969 first count votes on the 13th district, coming in ahead of Labour’s Gozo spokesman Justyne Caruana. The other spokesman, Anton Refalo, racked up over 5,000 votes.
Within seconds of winning, a jubilant Dr Mercieca thanked all those who voted for him and Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat.
“I’m ready to do my duty and do everything to improve the life of Gozitans.”
Marie Louise Coleiro Preca
– first woman MP elected
Minutes after learning that she was elected in the sixth district, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca thanked Prime Minister-elect Joseph Muscat and all those from the sixth district who voted for her.
“It’s a great responsibility as I’m being given again the trust to represent the Maltese in the country’s institution,” she said.
Additional reporting Juan Ameen and Matthew Xuereb.