First count results

The local council elections in 23 localities on Saturday which were completely eclipsed by the EU referendum, registered a good showing by Alternattiva Demokratika.

Results for Birkirkara were only partial by the time the paper went to print.

Three years ago, the PN won 49.3 per cent of the vote, down by 1.3 per cent from 1997. The MLP, which officially contested these localities for the first time in 2000 took 48.8 per cent, while independent candidates won 1.9 per cent.

The fact that the council elections coincided with the EU referendum pushed up the number of people who voted for local council candidates, with a turnout of 88 per cent, compared to just 71 per cent in the same localities three years ago.

The list of councillors was not finalised at the time of going to press. In 2000, the PN had a majority in 12 councils and the MLP in 10, with a equal number of candidates in Mtarfa.

There were 262 candidates: 125 for the PN; 117 for the MLP; eight for AD; and 12 independent.

The first localities where voting was completed were Gharb and Sannat, although far fewer results were known by yesterday evening than usual: some localities only had a first count vote by late evening. Polling usually closes for local council elections at 7 p.m., which means that counting starts in the early hours of the morning, while the counting yesterday did not start until 8 a.m.

By 5.30 p.m., the counting was completed for only three councils, and the official first count votes for eight localities had not yet been issued.

However, for those who knew the outcome of their campaign, joy was evident.

James Camilleri was the first AD candidate to be elected yesterday, his first time as a councillor. He said he was overjoyed, not just for himself but also for AD, saying the party was looking forward to the general election. He was elected in Lija.

Pawlu Muscat, Cospicua contesting under the banner Assistenza lil Batuti, got 229 first count votes (quota 444). Mr Muscat is a former Cospicua mayor, who was then a Labour party candidate who fell out of grace with the party.

"Contesting on my own steam has not been easy. I cannot say I am satisfied because whoever contests the elections does so to get elected. Polling 229 votes in such a situation, however, is a very good result."

Mr Muscat said Labour supporters knew he would vote yes in the referendum because he had declared this publicly. This declaration had cost him to lose out on inherited votes.

Josephine Attard MLP of Mtarfa was elected on first count with 438 votes (quota 224). A housewife, Mrs Attard expressed satisfaction at the result, which she said, reflected her good work as mayor in the outgoing council. She promised to work harder based on the experience she achieved in the past three years.

John Mary Calleja, MLP Gudja, was elected on first count with 658 votes (quota 319). Mr Calleja has been Gudja mayor for the past six years and said his result reflected the people's confidence in him.

Michael Cohen, MLP Kalkara, was elected on the first count with 607 votes (quota 323). A mayor in the last council, Mr Cohen expressed gratitude at the electorate for appreciating the work he carried out during the past three years. Such a result, he said, boosted his confidence to develop further what his council had achieved so far.

Maria Sultana, PN Kalkara, was elected on the first count with 423 votes (quota 323). A member of the Kalkara council for the past six years, Ms Sultana thanked the electorate for expressing their confidence in her for the third time round. She promised to continue working hard for the benefit of the locality.

Paul Vella, PN Mgarr, was elected on the first count with 464 votes (quota 308). Mr Vella, the mayor in the last council, said the votes in his favour spoke a lot both for him and his party, which managed to retain the majority of votes. This result, he said, placed a greater responsibility on councillors to work harder.