The Labour Party spent €1.5 million on its election campaign after collecting more than €1.6 million in fundraising activities and donations.

Labour's incoming CEO Gino Cauchi announced the breakdown of the figures during the party's annual general conference.

"Tonight we are doing what has never been done before. This is another sign that we deliver what we promise," he said, before announcing the audited accounts of the party and the election campaign.

Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech announced that in the coming weeks ministers would start to hold meetings with the public to keep in touch with citizens. He appealed to party delegates to help keep the Government's feet on the ground.

Labour's deputy leader Toni Abela thanked former general secretary Jason Micallef and former deputy leader Anglu Farrugia for their contribution to the party.

Dr Abela paid tribute to leader Joseph Muscat.

"He has the diligence of Pawlu Boffa, the courage of Dom Mintoff, the humanism of Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici and the mind of Alfred Sant. Put all these together and you get Joseph Muscat," he said, adding that historians would analyse Labour's phenomenal victory for years to come.

He said he often had differences with Dr Muscat's risky and daring methods but now understood how he managed to see the writing on the wall.

However, Dr Abela warned that what goes up must come down and it would be a tragedy if  Labour were to remain in power forever. Avoiding a one-party system was one of the main reasons Labour had to win the last election.

He urged party supporters to share their criticism of the Government openly so that the party would not fall in the same trap as the Nationalists.  Party and Government must remain distinct, he warned.

The conference was a show of "renewal", with veteran party officials like international secretary Alex Sciberras Trigona, operations officer Ray Azzopardi and president Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi making their last speeches and giving the floor to their younger replacements Marc Vella Bonnici, William Lewis and Daniel Micallef respectively.

 

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