The Nationalist Party has taken back San Ġwann and Msida councils and increased its vote across most localities in the second day of counting for the 2024 local elections.  

But Labour remains comfortably in the lead, securing a majority in 27 out of the 43 councils counted so far, with the remaining third to be tallied on Friday.

After two out of three days of vote counting, the gap between the two big parties is of 23,000 votes. 

In percentage terms, Labour has 54% of the vote, PN 41.3% and independents and third parties have just over 4% of the vote.

The Naxxar counting hall erupted after PN won San Ġwann, one of the most hotly contested of the 21 seats counted on Thursday while Msida turned blue after almost two decades.

While PN won the majority of votes in Birkirkara, it did not win the majority of councillors, after independent candidate Kaylocke Buhagiar was elected.

Labour meanwhile made history in Cospicua by becoming the first party to completely dominate a council.

But in a visit to the counting hall, PN leader Bernard Grech said the message sent out in the European elections, which saw Labour lose its supermajority, is being reflected in the council elections.

"Figures are showing that the PN has increased its vote in practically all localities, while Labour has lost votes in several," he said. "People are moving away from the politics of deceit and PR and embracing the truth."

The significant gains for the PN meant it won extra seats in Sliema, Lija and Msida. 

Of the 21 councils decided on Thursday:

• Labour won Fgura, Marsascala, Rabat (Malta), Gudja, Marsaxlokk, Kalkara, Żabbar, Paola, Għaxaq, Cospicua, Xagħra, Sannat, Pieta.
• PN won Sliema, Lija, Victoria (Gozo), Msida, San Ġwann, Mġarr
• There was no majority in Birkirkara and Għarb.

By Friday evening, counting for all 471 council seats spread across 67 localities (53 in Malta, 14 in Gozo) will be concluded. 

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LIVE BLOG

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Live blog ends

9.30pm Thank you for joining us today. The live blog has ended and a short summary of today's results is above. 

We'll be back again tomorrow for the results of the final third councils. 

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'I will work with anyone': Kaylocke Buhagiar

9.22pm Birkirkara councillor Kaylocke Buhagiar, who ditched Labour to run as an independent says he will "work with anyone" and that "unity will be the priority" for him. 

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Il-Kingmaker: Kaylocke Buhagiar celebrates

8.53pm Kaylocke Buhagiar celebrates as he becomes the kingmaker in Birkirkara. His chants of 'Birkirkara, Birkirkara' are almost drowned out by Labour chants of 'Viva l-Labour'. 

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Hung council at Birkirkara: 6-6-1

8.44pm The last council of the night has been confirmed and it's a big one. There is no seat majority on Birkirkara with PN 6, PL 6 and Independent Kaylocke Buhagiar 1. 

PN have the majority of votes with 48%, to Labour's 42%. Buhagiar got 8% while ADPD emerged with 2%.

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PN retains Sliema, with an increased majority

8.35pm PN has retained Sliema and increased its majority from 70.7% in 2019 to 78.6% a seat. It now has an extra seat, winning a majority of 11-2.

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PN retains Mġarr, Labour keeps Żabbar

8.30pm As expected, PN has retained Mġarr while Labour has held Żabbar.

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Grech: 'PN has increased votes in practically all localities'

8.20pm  Bernard Grech says the message sent out in the European elections is being reflected in the local elections. Figures are showing that the PN has increased its vote in practically all localities, while Labour has lost votes in several, he said.

"People are moving away from the politics of deceit and PR and embracing the truth," he said. 

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Bernard Grech arrives in the counting hall

8pm PN leader Bernard Grech has just arrived in the counting hall. It's shaping up to be a good night for his party. 

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Labour wins Fgura 

8pm One from earlier, Labour has won Fgura, a party stronghold. But we still don't know if the party's youngest candidate, Andre Mizzi, has made it through. 

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Nail-biting finish in Birkirkara

7.42pm Independent candidate Kaylocke Buhagiar is on track to be elected but it's still unclear which party will get a majority of councillors or whether Buhagiar - a former Labour councillor - will be the kingmaker. 

It is looking like PN might make it, with the slimmest of majorities. 

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PN take back Msida

7.34pm Another big win for the PN. They have taken back Msida after almost two decades under Labour. PL won the majority in 2006 and it was always a closely fought constitnuency. Labour won it with a slim 50.97% majority in 2019.

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Labour keep Paola but with a new mayor

7.30pm Labour keep Paola but with a new mayor. Jason Silvio has been elected, beating party colleague and incumbent Dominic Grima to the post. 

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Battle of the perspex

7.15pm Both PN and PL officials are banging the perspex now. 

Celebrating their '5-0' win in Cospicua, PL officials have been chanting "you will never get into Castille, allelujah" while PN officials, rejoicing over regaining San Ġwann, are singing the official party anthem.

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Loudest celebrations of the night

7pm The counting hall erupted with PN officials chanting 'Ole, Ole, Ole' when San Ġwann returned to the Nationalist Party.

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PN take back San Ġwann

6.56pm This is a big one. PN have taken  back San Ġwann, one of the most hotly contested seats being counted today. The party traditionally controlled the seat, but it went to Labour by a slim margin in 2019. 

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PL expect to emerge with 13% majority

6.50pm PL sources say they expect to emerge from today with a 13% majority. To put that in to context, that would be a drop from the 18% majority they had over the PN in 2019.

But, it's still early days with this marathon count continuing into tomorrow, where the final third of councils will be elected.

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Father-and-son mayors as Labour keeps Għaxaq

6.39pm Another 30 years of Boxall? Labour has retained Għaxaq and its mayor is Karl Boxall, the son of long-running Vittoriosa mayor John Boxall.

John Boxall was elected 30 years ago at the age of 41, which is exactly the same age as his son now.

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Labour retains Marsascala

6.35pm Labour keeps Marsascala. Mario Calleja looks likely to stay on as mayor. But his colleague Janice Falzon is close.

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Sandro celebrates

6.24pm Labour's Sandro Craus has now arrived at the counting hall and is celebrating being re-elected in Rabat. 

His party colleague Philip Vella has also been elected - as Sannat mayor.

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Labour retains Marsaxlokk

6.07pm Labour holds on to its majority in Marsaxlokk and its mayor, Steven Grech, is re-elected. 

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Labour retains Cospicua (Bormla) with all five seats

6pm Labour has retained Cospicua and they'll have a clean sweep, taking all five seats. Mayor Marco Agius is elected mayor. 

Because Cospicua's population decreased, the number of available seats reduced from seven in 2019 to five this year.

He had replaced former mayor and now parliamentary secretary Alison Zerafa Civelli, the prime minister’s sister in law, who stepped down during her term in office to become an MP.

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Labour holds Xagħra

5.54pm We were told it was 'neck and neck' earlier but Labour has won Xagħra, Gozo.  Victor Curmi is the new mayor.

Xagħra's former mayor Christian Zammit, last year quit politics and the Labour Party but returned to the party to run these elections.

Labour says it won the council with a 300 vote advantage over the PN. 

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Labour retains Rabat (Malta)

5.49pm Labour has retained its majority in Rabat, Malta. Sandro Craus will remain as mayor but we don't think he's at the counting hall.

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Labour retains Pieta

5.44pm Labour has retained Pieta. Stefano Savo is the newly elected mayor. 

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PN 'increased votes in Gudja, Kalkara, Marsaxlokk, Sliema'

5.40pm PN officials are boasting of increased votes across four localities: Gudja and Kalkara, which were won by Labour and Marsaxlokk and Sliema, which have not been announced. 

So far the (unofficial) results of five councils are in, but we've had no big surprises at this stage.

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PN holds Victoria - with a new mayor

5.37pm The PN holds its majority in Gozo's main town.  Brian Azzopardi has been elected mayor.

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Labour keep Gudja - with a new mayor

5.27pm Labour holds Gudja but there's a new sherrif in town. Romeo Baldacchino will take over from his party colleague Marija Sara Vella Gafa, who ran, unsuccessfully, in the MEP elections. 

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Labour hold Kalkara

5.21pm Labour holds party stronghold Kalkara with Wayne Aquilina to continue as mayor. 

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PN keeps Lija

5.10pm Lija stays blue as the PN increases its majority, with 71% of the vote. Mayor Anthony Dalli will stay in his post and the party will probably get an extra seat on the council, bringing its tally to 4-1. 

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Labour wins Sannat

5.03pm The first result is in and it's not surprising. As projected, Labour has held Sannat, Gozo. 

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Projections for Gozo

4.52pm No results yet but there are some projections coming in for Gozo. These projections show Labour is likely to hold on to Sannat, Għarb will probably continue with no majority due to two strong independents and Victoria is expected to remain PN.

But there might be something interesting going on in Xagħra. We're hearing it's close, which would be remarkable given Labour had 66% of the vote in 2019. 

It might be something to do with this guy, Christian Zammit, who quit Labour over overdevelopment in Gozo but returned to the party to contest the June election. 

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Political ink

4.14pm There's dedication and then there's dedication. 

Galdes on that meeting

4.04pm Counting has begun. But just before it started, we asked Roderick Galdes about reports he was singled out for criticism by the prime minister over Labour's dismal European election performance.

He avoided comment but did not deny it, saying parliamentary and executive group meetings are confidential.

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Kaylocke the kingmaker?

3.48pm We've spotted Kaylocke Buhagiar, who is hoping he won't be punished for ditching Labour and running as an independent in Birkirkara. 

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Sorting ends, the count soon begins

3.45pm The sorting process has come to an end and counting is expected to start at 4pm.

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Ministers mingling

3.20pm The counting hall is beginning to fill up and there are a few cabinet members among the crowd. One is culture minister Owen Bonnici, who will no doubt be checking the result for Marsascala, where he was once deputy mayor. 

Another is Housing Minister Roderick Galdes, former Qormi mayor and the minister responsible for a campaign debacle in Siġġiewi that saw magistrates reversing an order to register 99 voters in unfinished flats ahead of the election.

That locality will be decided tomorrow.

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Vote sorting underway

2.30pm Vote sorting is underway at Naxxar, which is good news for those of us with evening plans. Yesterday, the process was delayed until 4pm. 

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Keen at 16

2.07pm The counting hall opened a few minutes ago and party agents have been finding their stations. Among the first to arrive is one of the youngest candidates, 16-year-old Andre Mizzi, who is hoping to get a seat in Labour stronghold, Fgura.  

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Round two

2pm Good afternoon and welcome to our live blog for the 2024 local council elections. We’re already a third of the way through this marathon count as votes for 23 councils were decided on Wednesday.

You can read all about that here.Today, a further 21 will be decided at Naxxar counting hall. We’ll let you know the results as they come in.