The delegates of the Malta Labour Party have chosen, by a huge ma-jority, Joseph Muscat as the party's new leader. All eyes are on the 34-year-old member of the European Parliament who is now under public scrutiny like never before.
His performance will not only show whether the Labour delegates made the right choice but, more importantly, will determine whether the MLP can be reformed to the point that it becomes a government-in-waiting again. That, in turn, benefits the country because alternation of power is an essential ingredient in a thriving democracy.
It was almost a given that Dr Muscat would win the Labour leadership race and that should in no way be taken to mean that his four opponents - George Abela, Evarist Bartolo, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca and Michael Falzon - were not also valid candidates.
Dr Muscat, an achiever in both his personal and public life, was just three votes away from winning the statutory 50 per cent plus one of the vote, and thus secure his election as leader, when the delegates cast their ballot on Thursday. He won 435 votes (49.77 per cent) of the 879 votes cast, five of which were invalid. The next was Dr Abela with 200 votes (22.88 per cent) and then Dr Falzon - 181 votes (20.71 per cent), Mr Bartolo - 32 votes (3.66 per cent) and Mrs Coleiro Preca- 26 votes (2.98 per cent).
In a runoff last night, Dr Muscat bagged an astonishing 574 votes (66.36 per cent) out of the 865 valid votes cast.
The delegates will no doubt insist that they went for the man they think is best suited to take the party forward, ensure a victory at the polls and, ultimately, lead the country as Prime Minister.
Others, and not necessarily from the opposing political camp but also among floaters and, indeed, the MLP itself, will insist that Dr Muscat was victorious because he had the full backing of the party's machinery and its present administration.
And here lies Dr Muscat's first challenge: proving that he is his own man; that he will allow nobody to pull any strings and that he will do whatever he deems necessary to reform the party and put it back on track. This could mean - should is a more fitting term - summoning party officials who may have given him a helping hand, thanking them for their services and politely asking them to vacate their offices.
The expectations are very high and Dr Muscat is certainly fully aware of that.
His real acid test is, of course, reforming the party: the way it operates, thinks, speaks and communicates. He needs to look back at the party's immediate and not-too-distant history to learn from the mistakes made, apologise, right wrongs, employ the best possible brains - including those that may be better than his, ensure open and transparent debates, maximise the use of its own media and instructing them to not only preach to the converted and, crucially, accept that those, including the independent media, that do not share his views and those of his party are not necessarily enemies.
The way the opposition functions also requires a lot of attention and Dr Muscat will need to employ all his social skills and network abilities in order to face the feat ahead.
May God go with him.