Labour makes impressive gains as PN crashes

The Labour Party has confirmed its primacy across Malta and Gozo, registering impressive gains across the board in the second night of vote counting.

The party not only confirmed its majorities in the battleground localities of Msida and Birkirkara but won back San Ġwann in what has been a dismal night for the Nationalist Party.

But the PL also made impressive gains across the board, increasing its majority in Pieta – a locality that in the past had a PN majority – and strengthening its hold on strongholds in the south.

In Pieta, the PL received an unprecedented 69.3% of the vote, confirming Keith Tanti as mayor and increasing one more seat in the five-seat locality.

In Żabbar, a traditional PL stronghold, the party now holds nine seats against the PN’s two, an increase of one for the PL.

Bormla reconfirmed Alison Zerafa Civelli as mayor

The PL’s success story continued in every locality as the night progressed, leaving the PN to smart over another disastrous result.

The PN was punished hard in Għarb, where it not only lost the council but was pushed to third after an independent grouping clinched second place and two seats. The PL got two seats.

The PN could only win in Lija, Victoria, Mġarr and Sliema, where it registered gains and re-elected Anthony Chircop as mayor. Chircop's election provided some relief for PN agents in the counting hall, who lifted him up in joy.

With 44 council votes counted over the course of two days, the PL won majorities in 32, the PN won in 11, and Għarb is deadlocked.

The last batch of 23 localities will be counted tomorrow with particular focus on Mosta and Siġġiewi, where the PL is aiming to overturn existing PN majorities.