Labour retains majority of seats in Gozo, despite losing by 144 votes

Labour has retained its majority of seats in Gozo, despite losing out to PN by 144 votes.

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, Fisheries Minister Anton Refalo and Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela all won re-election.

On the PN front, PN leader Alex Borg and Beppe Galea were elected.

The party was awarded an extra seat which went to Frank Anthony Tabone as part of a proportionality mechanism. 

Gozo was seen as a key battleground heading into the election, with Borg, who hails from Gozo, claiming on Sunday morning that the PN had won the island.

As expected, Borg attracted the lion’s share of the PN’s vote on the district, while Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri’s was Labour’s best performer.

Speaking to Times of Malta, Camilleri hit out at PN’s “premature” call on victory in Gozo.

“It was clear that Gozo was close, but it is clear that Gozo has once again returned three seats [for Labour],” Camilleri said.

Labour party agents at the counting hall observed there was a lot of cross-party voting in Gozo.

It appears a good number of voters there gave their number one to Borg but then continued voting for Labour candidates. 

Both parties claimed Gozo is "theirs" and PL leader Robert Abela told supporters at a mass meeting on the Granaries in Floriana that Gozo was "white and red". 

Meanwhile PN supporters at Naxxar counting hall slammed on the perspex dividers shouting "Gozo is ours, Gozo is ours". 

Labour threw everything at Gozo, with business owners complaining about how they are facing a severe shortage of local staff as ministers have allegedly been handing out jobs in exchange for votes ahead of the election.

This marks yet another victory for Labour on the 13 district, which was once seen as a blue district.

The party began to turn the tide in Gozo in 2013, and strengthened its lead in 2017 and 2022