These are PL and PN’s top election performers

Labour Party

1. Ian Borg – 23.4% of valid votes in District 7

Ian Borg secured 5,520 first-count votes in District 7, more than double the second-best performing candidate on the seventh district, Malcolm Paul Agius Galea, who got 2,378.

Borg has always performed well in elections. In 2022, he received 5,025 first-count votes, and in 2017, he got 5,566 first-count votes.

In 2013, in his first national election, Borg, then mayor of Dingli, was comfortably elected on the first count, receiving 4,186 votes.

Borg also contested the sixth district. He was also the top-performing candidate in that district, receiving 4,588 first-count votes, almost 20 per cent of all valid votes.

2. Keith Azzopardi Tanti – 21.62% of valid votes in District 1

On a national level, Pietà mayor Keith Azzopardi Tanti was not well known four years ago. That is why many were surprised when he secured the most first-count votes in the first district, with 3,774, in 2022.

He increased his total to 5,068 first-count votes in this election.

In comments to Times of Malta during Sunday’s count, Azzopardi Tanti said his result “is the result of good work in his secretariat but also giving importance to his district”.

In the last four years, Azzopardi Tanti gained a reputation for focusing a large chunk of his time on constituency work. He also contested in the eighth district but failed to get elected there.

3. Clint Camilleri – 21.59% of valid votes in District 13

Labour’s first-count votes were divided between ministers Clint Camilleri, with 6,020, Anton Refalo, with 3,863, and Jo Etienne Abela, with 3,171.

Of the three, Camilleri received the lion’s share of Labour votes.

The small Labour candidate pool (five) must have played a role in Camilleri’s success, but his role as Gozo and planning minister must also have played an important role.

The PL won three seats to the PN’s two, despite the Nationalists winning 144 more first-count votes.

4. Clyde Caruana – 20% of valid votes in District 8

Most candidates spent the campaign organising events for constituents, with appearances from party stalwarts and popular singers associated with the PL, like Mary Spiteri and Glenn Vella.

However, Caruana did none of that, keeping his personal campaign to a minimum, although sources said some of his few helpers were calling voters for their support.

Still, as finance minister, Caruana played a huge role in the PL’s campaign. That was enough to see him cruise through his District 8 candidacy with 4,984 first-count votes and 20 per cent of all valid votes in the district.

Caruana was even elected in the second district, inheriting 3,388 votes from Robert Abela, who had 11,839 votes, to add to his 827 first-count votes.

5. Miriam Dalli – 16.7% of valid votes in District 11

Miriam Dalli is one of only two women to be elected in two districts in this election. PN’s Rebekah Borg was the other.

She was the clear favourite among Labour voters in the 11th district, receiving 3,827 first-count votes, the exact same number of votes as the quota to get elected.

Her District 11 performance is slightly better than in 2022, when she received 3,539 votes.

Dalli was also elected in District 5, clinching the PL’s third seat over Owen Bonnici.

Nationalist Party candidates

1. Adrian Delia – 27.8% of valid votes in District 8

Adrian Delia loves Birkirkara, and Sunday’s results suggest Birkirkara loves Adrian Delia.

In District 8, which includes most of Birkirkara and Balzan, the former PN leader managed to garner 6,718 first-count votes, 2,500 more than the electoral quota. His nearest party rival, Beppe Fenech Adami, managed to acquire 1,751 first-count votes.

Besides Birkirkara and Balzan, Swatar, Iklin, Lija and part of Naxxar are in the district.

Delia, who narrowly lost to Alex Borg in the PN’s leadership contest last September, was also District 7’s most popu­lar candidate, winning 4,720 first-count votes.

2. Stephen Spiteri – 22.9 per cent of valid votes in District 2

Popular family doctor Stephen Spiteri has been the PN’s front-runner candidate on the second district since at least 2017, when he won 4,671 first-count votes.

On Sunday, Spiteri received 5,470 first-count votes in the blood-red district that includes Cottonera and Żabbar. The five other PN candidates in the district were dwarfed by Spiteri’s electoral performance.

Spiteri was also the third district’s most popular candidate, although to a lesser extent than on the second. The second and fourth districts are the only two where the PL kept four out of five seats.

3. Jerome Caruana Cilia – 21.8% of valid votes in District 6

Jerome Caruana Cilia managed to win 5,119 first-count votes on district 6, which includes Qormi, Luqa and Siġġiewi.

He beat Ian Borg in total votes and managed to get more than double the votes of his nearest PN rival, Julian Borg.

Caruana Cilia, from Qormi, maintained close ties with his constituents throughout the last legislature, a factor that, in comments to Times of Malta, he said led to his electoral success.

4. Darren Carabott – 21.4% of valid votes in District 1

Darren Carabott was first elected to the first district in 2022. At the time, former MP Mario de Marco’s established presence in the district meant Carabott managed to garner 2,203 first-count votes to de Marco’s 2,253.

On Sunday, however, Carabott more than doubled his first-count vote tally to 4,923, comfortably making it to parliament on the first count, with other candidates inheriting 1,079 of his votes.

5. Mark Anthony Sammut – 16.7% of valid votes in District 4

District 4, which includes Paola, Tarxien, Fgura and Paola, is a PL stronghold. Mark Anthony Sammut still managed to acquire the most first-count votes in the district, with 3,849, which is more than Labour’s Chris Fearne, who had 3,750 first-count votes.

In fact, Sammut was the only candidate in the district who managed to get elected with his first-count votes alone.

Beside him, the PN’s Michael Piccinino also made it to parliament in the district. The PN had not managed to elect two candidates in the fourth district since 2008.

Sammut also managed to get a seat in District 10, which includes Sliema.