Labour loses its fourth seat on district 4
The last time PN won a second seat in the district was in 2008
Labour has lost its fourth seat in district 4, with PN winning a second seat in the district for the first time in almost two decades.
With the count well underway, Labour has elected three candidates on the district, with the remaining two seats going to PN.
District 4 has always been a Labour stronghold, with the party winning a majority all throughout Malta’s electoral history.
The district includes most of Fgura, Gudja, Paola, Santa Luċija and Tarxien, all of them widely seen as Labour-leaning towns.
The party had tightened its grip on the district in recent years, winning over two-thirds of votes in every election since 2013, nabbing a fourth seat in the process.
However, PN has gained ground on the district, winning a second seat for the first time since 2008.
At the forefront of PN’s surge in the district is Gudja native Mark Anthony Sammut, who was the only Nationalist candidate elected in 2022.
Former PN general secretary Michael Piccinino, a first-time candidate, has also been elected on the first count.
On the Labour front, Chris Fearne, Byron Camilleri and Jonathan Attard have all been elected.
This means that several notable names have missed out for the time being, most notably parliamentary secretary Andy Ellul.
Chris Bonett also failed to make it through in this district, as warned by insiders in the run-up to the election. However, he has nonetheless made it to parliament through district 3.
It remains to be seen whether Ellul will make his way to parliament through a casual election, should any of the elected candidates give up their seat.