PN regains Mosta majority

The Nationalist Party has regained control of Mosta after a nail biting contest with the Labour Party which was only concluded when the last PN candidates were eliminated and their votes were re-distributed.

At the end of the first count Labour had a slight majority of 14 votes, however after the re-distribution of votes of independent candidate Paul Agius and Alternattiva Demokrtika's Robert Callus, the PN took the lion's share of votes.

Mosta was the focal point of the most concentrated campaigning in the run-up to yesterday's local council elections, with the PN aiming to regain the locality after losing it to Labour in 2007.

The scandal ridden locality saw Labour recognising that the council had not lived up to people's expectations, and it presented a new team of candidates.

The PN victory will mean that Shirley Farrugia is the new mayor, since she won 1,367 votes at the first count.

After a nail biting contest, Alternattiva Demokratika turned out to be the kingmaker, as the PN took a lead of 146 votes on the elimination of Robert Callus. With seven PN candidates still in the running it was unlikely for Labour to regain its lead.

Alternattiva Demokratika elected two out of 10 candidates with its chairperson Michael Briguglio returning on the Sliema council and Ralph Cassar retaining his seat in Attard.

In Sliema, the PN won seven of the 11 seats available. Labour gained three seats and Alternattiva Demokratika won the other.

PN candidate, Julian Galea who was involved in the infamous Labour-phobia secret recording controversy regained election after beating fellow PN candidate Antoinette Castaldi Paris by a mere 9 votes to win the last seat available.