Ecstatic Labour supporters invaded the Floriana Granaries for an impromptu mass meeting yesterday and Prime Minister-elect Joseph Muscat urged them to extend a hand of friendship to the Nationalists.
This is the new brand of politics we promised
Dr Muscat also told the delirious crowd that official celebrations would take place in the same place on Saturday, when he returns from his first EU summit in Brussels.
“Today we can truly say that Malta belongs to all of us,” he said to electric cheers and applause.
“The mandate we have been given could not have been secured by a political party of the past. This is the mandate of a movement. This is the new brand of politics we promised,” he said.
Dr Muscat acknowledged the movement’s “responsibility” to be a government for all the Maltese and Gozitans from the first day.
His supporters spent hours in the sun waiting to catch a glimpse of the man who gave them an extraordinary victory for the first time since 1996.
Many had tears in their eyes as they digested the incredible result, while others celebrated with copious amounts of alcohol.
Among those celebrating backstage was former Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who declared on voting day that the “theatrics” of columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia and TV presenter Lou Bondì had convinced him not to abstain.
Ms Caruana Galizia was on Friday night questioned by the police for breaching the pre-election media blackout and Mr Bondì filmed the episode.
Labour supporters yesterday hugged Dr Pullicino Orlando and posed for photos with him as they thanked him for his support.
Franco Debono, another former Nationalist MP who fell out with his party and voted Labour, was treated like a hero in his hometown in Għaxaq, carried high on the shoulders of Labour supporters.
Meanwhile, the police kept the crowds under control and the celebrations seemed to pass without major incident.
The Times witnessed one confrontation between the police and two drunken men who used their pick-up truck to do burnouts on the war memorial roundabout in Floriana. One of the men was arrested after he fought back against the police who ordered them to stop.
The impromptu mass meeting idea was to keep the thousands of merrymakers off the roads and the plan worked, especially when supporters were told the Prime Minister-elect would be addressing them.
Several had painted faces – in white and red – and most had Labour flags tied around their necks or heads. Some were waving the old red Labour Party flags. With even the traffic lights frozen on red and red smoke used as stage effect, it was a very scarlet atmosphere.
The wait was long – some had been there from 1pm and by the time Dr Muscat’s car drove in at about 6pm, the tens of thousands of revellers were all charged up.
Policemen had a hard time to keep the crowd from nearly mobbing his car amid cries of “Prime Minister, Prime Minister”.
When he stepped on stage, the crown went delirious and united in one voice with cries of “Joseph, Joseph” and “Viva l-Labour”, which never abated throughout their leader’s speech.