Their party may have suffered a crushing defeat but there could be a silver lining for Kristy Debono and her husband, Jean Pierre.

Elected a Nationalist MP for the first time four years ago, Ms Debono is set to retain her seat in Parliament with a greatly improved performance on the ninth district.

But she may yet find her husband sitting down next to her in the House. Mr Debono posted a good showing on the seventh district which could see him become an MP for the first time.  

They will not be the first couple in the House of Representatives.

Indeed, the outgoing legislature saw partners, Godfrey Farrugia and Marlene Farrugia sit together in the House.

Ms Debono said she had mixed emotions about her success, given the Nationalist Party’s dismal result. She had this to say: “I worked a lot on the ground, meeting people and listening to them… I am obviously delighted with my performance but, at the same time, I am saddened by the overall result, which did not tally with the feedback I was receiving.”