Glenn Bedingfield has just been elected as Joseph Muscat's successor in the European Parliament.

He obtained 62 percent of the first count votes, winning almost 26,000 votes, when the quota was 20,000.

Mr Bedingfield, 33, was being congratulated while vote-counting was still under way. The other candidates were Wenzu Mintoff and Robert Micallef.

Mr Bedingfield, in comments to timesofmalta.com, said he wished to thank the people for the confidence shown in him. Substituting Joseph Muscat would not be easy, he said, but he was going into his new role with commitment, responsibility and loyalty.

He said he would be following up on the work taken in hand by Dr Muscat in the European Parliament and would be working with Dr Muscat's staff for a smooth transition. However he would also be promoting his own issues, including the impact of illegal immigration on Malta, the environment, and the people's right to free quality health care.

The new MEP will serve until June, when fresh MEP elections will be held. Mr Bedingfield said he would seek re-election.