As parties reflect on results, low turnout remains the biggest headache

As the first counts show that the Labour Party has won the majority of the local councils election with 55%, the Nationalist Party, Alternattiva Demokratika and the PL are all trying to analyse what went wrong with the lowest turnout ever in the history of local elections.

Out of the some 158,000 eligible voters, only 93,000 cast their vote yesterday. While the heavy storm didn't help, all parties have agreed that many of the voters might be disillusioned with the local councils.

PL deputy leader Toni Abela has described the results as "positive", but insisted that this did not reflect an eventual result in the general elections.

"It's a positive result because while we consolidated the localities which already had a Labour majority, the PL also won the majority in Qala, St Paul's Bay and Safi - all three localities which were previously led by the PN," Abela said.

"However this does not mean that the results are a reflection of an eventual result in the forthcoming general elections."

Abela added that one had to analyse and study the results to understand why such a low turnout was registered.

On the other hand, Labour MP Stefan Buontempo said the result showed that the "citizen's voice had won" and reflected the strong proposals put forward by the PL in its programme.

"There is however much scepticism over the local councils. People believe they are corrupt, which obviously they are not. The result also shows that people are fed up of government's leadership," he said.

Buontempo added that changes must be made to the local councils to make them more independent: "Why should a council require the approval of government to install traffic lights? Local councils should be given more freedom in which to operate and should not be used by politicians as their playing field."

President of the PN's administrative council and newly elected Siggiewi mayor Karol Aquilina expressed his satisfaction at the result obtained by the PN in the locality.

"Results should be interpreted according to the locality," Aquilina said when asked for a reaction for the PN's weak performance in general.

Aquilina added the negative result might also be because of a campaign focused on a number of localities. Over the loss of Safi to the PL, he said that on paper the locality had always been Labour and the PN would win because of the transfer of votes.

Aquilina also attributed the low turnout to the staggering amount of those who didn't vote in St Paul's Bay. Over Mosta, he said that it was inevitable that the parties would be neck to neck due to the intensive campaign which took place in the locality.

AD's chairperson and Sliema candidate Michael Briguglio expressed his dissatisfaction at AD's failure to secure three councillors but added that he was satisfied with his re-election on the Sliema council and Ralph Cassar's probable election in Attard.

"We entered these elections with one seat, and we're going out with two," Briguglio said.

He added that the results have showed a swing in favour of Labour and the ever-growing sections of the electorate who choose not to vote have become a "political force".

Percentage wise, Briguglio said that AD's vote cannot be taken for granted, as like in the case of Mosta, the AD vote will have a bearing on which party gains the majority and mayorship.