Updated Saturday 7am

Labour overwhelmingly won the 2019 council elections with 58% of the vote, with a record 47,000 majority over the Nationalist Party and with 5,762 given to independent candidates.

In all, 268 Labour councillors were elected against the PN's 192. Four independent candidates will also be taking a seat. The Labour Party won a majority in 47 councils, the PN in 19 (including Mdina where no election was held).

The counting came to a close on Friday, when the last 23 councils were decided.

Speaking on One as soon as the counting was over, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said Labour got 18% more votes than the Nationalist Party, or a 47,116 vote difference.

This, he said, was a historic victory that consolidated the MEP results, which Labour won by a 42,000 majority. 

The PL had won symbolic victories such as winning Valletta for the first time ever, and securing Siġġiewi, traditionally a PN locality. It had also won swing localities like Mosta and kept its hold on Labour leaning areas.

He thanked the PL candidates and volunteers and referred to the PL's LEAD programme, which enticed women to contest elections - saying the result proved this had been a success.

The party made other major victories on Friday taking over the previously PN-held Siġġiewi and Mosta. 

Labour won Siġġiewi by a razor-thin majority of 70 votes, obtaining 2,770 first count votes against the PN's 2,700. It won Mosta 7-6.

Munxar mayor Damien Spiteri. Video: Mark Zammit Cordina

There was some consolation for the Nationalist Party as it saw the tiny village of Munxar swing in its favour 3-2, the first such swing in this series of elections all over the country.

The PN also won San Lawrenz 4-1, where Noel Formosa will be retaining his post of mayor. Mr Formosa has been elected to the council since councils started except for once when he did not contest. “Tomorrow, I mark 25 years in local government,” he said. It retained Swieqi 7-2, won Naxxar 5-4, Attard 6-3 and Kerċem and Għargħur 3-2.

Noel Formosa. Photo: Mark Zammit CordinaNoel Formosa. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Besides Mosta and Siġġiewi, Labour also won Senglea, Vittoriosa,
Santa Luċija and Xgħajra 4-1 with the vote difference between the mayor and the deputy mayor in Xgħajra being of just one vote. It also won Floriana, Mtarfa, Safi, Kirkop and Qala 3-2. It won Gżira 5-4 and Luqa and Ħamrun 5-2. John Schembi, Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri's father, was confirmed as Luqa's mayor. It won Qormi 7-4.

Both parties obtained two votes each in Żebbuġ (Gozo), where Nicky Saliba, formerly a PN councillor, was elected as an independent.

Read: Labour wins 16 councils, PN four in Thursday's count

Video: Mark Zammit Cordina

Read: Council results so far: no big surprises but some notable changes

Photo: Ivan MartinPhoto: Ivan Martin

A little scuffle as counting agents of different parties complain of encroaching on each others space. Video: Ivan Martin

Friday was characterised by loud celebrations of Labour supporters who flooded the hall.

At one point in the evening as PN supporters celebrated winning Attard, Labour supporters joined in the chants of “[Adrian] Delia! Delia!” - a jibe at the embattled PN leader.

The councils decided on Friday were Swieqi, Attard, Qormi, Naxxar, Mosta, Floriana, Luqa, Senglea, Għargħur, Ħamrun, Kirkop, Gżira, Santa Luċija, Siġġiewi, Xgħajra, Mtarfa, San Lawrenz, Safi, Vittoriosa, Munxar, Kerċem, Żebbuġ (Gozo), and Qala.

Video: Mark Zammit Cordina

Elected councillors

San Lawrenz: Noel Formosa (mayor), Anthony Formosa, Joseph Michael Cauchi, Carmela Grima - PN; George Camilleri - PL

Munxar: Damien Spiteri (mayor), Carmela Parnis, Mark Anthony Busuttil - PN; Sonja Abela, Joseph Cauchi - PL

Senglea: Clive Pulis (mayor), Anthony Bonavia, Joeline Attard, Corinne Buhagiar - PL; Malcolm Gatt - PN

Floriana: Davina Sammut Hili (mayor), Gail Demanuele, Vincent Borg - PL; James Aaron Ellul, Justine Palmier - PN

Xgħajra: Neil Attard (mayor), Rosabelle Pulis, Anthony Valvo, Raymond Camilleri - PL; Doris Borg - PN

Swieqi: Noel Muscat (mayor), Mary Anne Abela, Rowena Scicluna, Paul Fenech, Anna Pisani, Teresa Valentino, Edgar Rossignaud - PN; Matthew Bonello, Aleander Chetcuti - PL

Żebbuġ (Gozo): Marlene Cini, Sandra Grech - PL; Daniel Cordina, Baskal Saliba - PN; Nicky Saliba - independent (mayorship undecided)

Kerċem: Mario Azzopardi (mayor), Pawlu Mizzi, Horace Vella - PN; Frankie Attard, Elvin Grech - PL

Qala: Paul Buttigieg (mayor), John Cefai, Joseph Buttigieg - PL; Karl Buttigieg, Valerie Cassar Mejlak - PN

Mtarfa: Daniel Attard (mayor), Kyle Mifsud, Marica Sammut Dimech - PL; Simon Paul Fenech, Anton Mifsud - PN

Kirkop: Terence Agius (mayor), Joseph Schembri, Ritienne Caruana - PL; John Luke Cassar, Cody Galea - PN

Gżira: Conrad Borg Manché (mayor), Ralph Mangion, Neville Chetcuti, Ian Buhagiar, Alexander Zammit - PL; Jeremy Cardona, Hugh Caruana, Shaun Farrugia, Jessica Borg - PN

Vittoriosa: John Boxall (mayor), Christopher Cassar, Trevor Mizzi, Jason Bortelli - PL; Anton Gellel - PN

Safi: John Mula (mayor), Janice Azzopardi, Francis Callus - PL; Joanna Abdilla, Pupull Abdilla - PN

Għargħur: Abraham Aquilina (mayor), Helen Gauci, Marilena Galea - PN; Christopher Fenech, Carl Grech - PL

Luqa: John Schembri (mayor) Donald Cassar, Eric Camilleri, Kearon Bruno, Lucia Massa - PL; Frederick Aquilina, Victor Caruana - PN

Ħamrun: Christian Sammut (mayor), Vince Bonello, Jurgen Carl Grixti, Carmen Borg, Cynthia Tomasuolo - PL; Efrem Buttigieg, Louise Portelli - PN

Siġġiewi: Kurstein Sant (mayor), Rodianne Haber, Dominic Grech, Adrian Farrugia - PL; Alessia Psaila Zammit, Julian Borg, Francine Farrugia - PN

Santa Luċija: Charmaine St John (mayor), Frederick Cutajar, Terrence Ellul, Kyle D’Amato - PL; Liam Sciberras - PN

Mosta: Romilda Baldacchino Zarb (mayor), Chris Grech, Rachel Abela, Shirley Abela, Pia Bonnici, Marvic Camilleri, Joseph Howard - PL; Keith Cassar, Frans Debuara, Angele Rapa, Joseph Gatt, Aiken Zerafa, Mikhail Micallef - PN

Qormi: Renald Falzon (mayor), Josef C. Masini Vento, Donnha Barbara, Daniel Ablett, Marvin Zammit, Sean Apap Meli, Martina Grech - PL; Jerome Caruana Cilia, Ralph Puli, Carmelo Cuschieri, George Muscat - PN

Naxxar: Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami (mayor), Christopher Deguara, Mary Anne Cuomo, Mark Anthony Deguara, Joe Spiteri - PN; Marlon Brincat, Noel Gatt, Ivan Gaffiero, Stephen Abela - PL

Attard: Stefan Cordina (mayor), Alex Mangion, Connie Scerri, Remigio Bartolo, Silvio Brincat, Giorgio Schembri - PN; Helen Caruana, John P. Bonnici, Victor Galea - PL

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