Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today that the local election results showed how the people knew how to appreciate good results, giving the government a massive vote of confidence half way through its term.
The people had chosen the positive over the negative, he said.
Labour, he said, was not perfect, but it was ready to correct its mistakes and move forward.
In every country in the world, opposition parties made progress in elections held in mid-term. He would have been happy with a single vote majority but the people had given a substantial majority to Labour, reinvigorating the government.
The 54% result was on a par of what Labour achieved in the general election in 2013 and the EP elections a year ago.
Since taking over as PL leader he had faced seven elections and won them all, Dr Muscat said. Labour won 54% in six of them. The other was won by 57 per cent.
He thanked all those who voted Labour and said he was humbled by the results. The only other time when a ruling party won a local councils elections was in the year 2000, when the PN was happy with 49%, he said.
Dr Muscat said Labour felt the best comparison of the latest council results should be with the general election and EP results, which were the most reasons, but it was not scared of making comparisons with 2012 and would learn lessons where needed.
The party had won Munxar and Floriana, which it did not hold before and came very close in Nadur and St Paul's Bay. It also held on to Safi and Qala.
The message, particularly from Gozo, was a very strong one, but it was not a surprise. The Gozitans were seeing that they did not just have a minister for Gozo, but a government which working for them.
The results in the south were practically the same as in the general elections, but Labour would not bury its head int he stand and assess all localities. Of course there were factors such as popular mayors which did not contest. He could understand that the people of Marsaxlokk were still awaiting the conversion of the power station to gas, and that would happen in this term.
The government would also be announcing initiatives for a better environment, particularly in the south of Malta.
The government would also heed the personal problems of the people and address injustices.
Optimism, he said, was infectious. Even Simon Busuttil was optimistic now and he was satisfied with his party's defeat. He could understand how some of his behavior was aimed at staying in his post. Labour would like nothing better. But what had taken place was surreal.
Someone had said that one should not under-estimate the opposition. He never did, Dr Muscat said, but his impression was that it was Dr Busuttil who was again underestimating Labour, and he would be shown once more that this movement was the natural home of all Maltese and Gozitans. But Labour would continue to insist that Dr Busuttil explain issues which cropped up over the past few weeks, including the works for votes in Gozo.
Dr Muscat said the government would continue its programme, including job creation, pensions reform to ensure that the elderly did not fall into poverty, and creating the environment for more investment. The best was yet to come, he said to applause.