Malta elects: Metsola, Peter Agius, Casa for PN, Agius Saliba, Attard and Bajada for PL
First counts: Metsola with 81,000 votes, Agius Saliba 58,000, Cassola in third place with 12,800
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The European Parliament president and Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola has polled a record-breaking 81,130 votes.
Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba polled 58,316 votes. Independent candidate Arnold Cassola polled the third highest first preference votes with 12,884 votes.
Labour has elected Alex Agius Saliba, and newcomers Daniel Attard and Thomas Bajada. The PN elected Roberta Metsola, Peter Agius, and incumbent David Casa.
There was a strong performance from Cassola with 12,800 first-count votes, his second-highest showing historically after clinching 23,000 first-count votes back in 2004 for Alternattiva Demokratika.
The gap between the two major parties was at 8,454 votes.
First indications of first-count votes placed Metsola in the lead of her party, with candidate Peter Agius following with 8,640, candidate David Agius with 5,315, and incumbent MEP David Casa with 3,354; they are followed by Norma Camilleri, 978; Lee Bugeja Bartolo, 609; Louise Pulis, 563; and Miriana Testaferrata de Noto with 408 votes.
Labour saw Alex Agius Saliba in the lead, followed by Daniel Attard with 10,634, and Thomas Bajada with 9,601; they are followed by Steve Ellul with 8,670; Claudette Abela Baldacchino with 8,284; Clint Flores, 6,749; Marija Sara Vella Gafà, 3,095; Jesmond Bonello, 743; and Jesmond Marshall, 616 votes.
Far-right firebrand Norman Lowell polled 5,947 votes, closely followed by former Labour mayor Conrad Borg Manché with 5,453.
ADPD leader Sandra Gauci polled just 1,976 first-count votes, followed by comedian James Ryder with 1,430 votes.
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