Labour newcomer Thomas Bajada has made a surprise showing to pull through to a seat as the Labour Party’s only Gozitan candidate. 

The 29-year-old said he believed people want a "humble politics" in his first comments after winning the seat. 

"Political parties must listen to people and their experiences," he said.

"I think the result I obtained shows that. I don’t think [Muscat’s lack of endorsement] made a difference. I think what made a difference was that I listened to people. My priority is to ensure the EU listens to Maltese and that its policies reflect our realities."

With a turnout of 73.95% in Gozo, higher than any other district, it perhaps stands to reason that Gozitan voters may have given preference to a home-grown candidate over others, earning the technocrat a boost at the polls. 

He received 10,792 first preference votes. 

With a background in science, Bajada currently serves as the government technical attaché on fisheries at the Permanent Representation of Malta to the European Union in Brussels and for four years has represented Malta on the Council of the EU in negotiations related to aquaculture. 

But despite his strong ties to Brussels, Bajada remains highly active in the Gozitan social scene, having served on the board of the Soċjetà Filarmonika Leone and the Aurora Opera House in Victoria. 

While this is the first time he has stood for public office, Bajada has been politically active since his youth, forming part of the executive of the Labour-affiliated student group Pulse while at the University of Malta.

He at one time also served as president of the National Youth Council.