Updated at 6.30pm

Joseph Muscat called it “the largest majority in Malta’s history” and said it had left him "speechless".

Adrian Delia waited until later in the day to speak and tried to put a positive twist on things, saying that the PN remained Malta's second-largest party and urging supporters not to give up. 

Here is how some key players have reacted to Malta’s 2019 European Parliament elections, which the PL has won with a landslide. 

Initial projections have the party polling 55 per cent of the vote, with the Nationalist Party at 37 per cent and smaller parties and independent candidates splitting the remaining seven per cent. 

This article will be updated throughout the day, as other stakeholders speak. Follow our blog for the latest updates.

Labour leader Joseph Muscat:

"It's a big victory for the PL, it's the biggest in Malta's electoral history... I'm speechless. It's a vote again division. It's a vote against those scaring people over issues which don't exist. There were also many people who did not vote at all and we need to hear them out. Now we can’t let this result go to our heads".

Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia:

"The people have spoken and the result is clear. But the PN remains the country's second-largest party and we have a duty to represent the thousands who voted for us. We also thank the thousands who did not vote for us, we have a duty to understand why we haven’t won them over.

"This is one of the worst times in the party's history, and we have to reach for the best within ourselves and find and welcome new faces. I did not join the PN when things were going swimmingly, and we have many challenges to face. But we won't lose heart. 

We always managed to find the best people. In these worst of times, we have to find the best within us and welcome new faces". 

Nationalist Party deputy leader Robert Arrigo:

"We’re still in the running for the third seat. About 90,000, maybe 100,000 did not bother to vote. That’s massive. I think the smaller parties have a problem, 95 per cent of votes were taken up by the two main parties. I think we should wait and see [before discussing Adrian Delia]".

Nationalist Party general secretary Clyde Puli:

"Surveys had predicted that we would lose by more than 70,000 votes. They have been proven wrong and we gained ground in the last weeks. Adrian Delia has a mandate to run the full course until the general election. This was an election about MEPs and local councils. The contest between Adrian Delia and Joseph Muscat will take place in 2022."

Labour MEP Miriam Dalli:

"The people have spoken and shown their trust in Joseph Muscat and the work Labour Party MEPs did over the past five years. This is a result which we now need to turn into action, and which should serve as a point of departure. Now we need to see how this result translates into European Parliament seats."

Democratic Party leader Godfrey Farrugia: 

"Few voters seem to see any reason to have a third political force outside of the two main parties. Those who did not like the PN or PL, did not vote. 

In the run-up to the general election we must listen to what these people say and consider alliances with parties which are ideologically similar". 

MP Marlene Farrugia:

"If you combine those who did not vote, those who voted for smaller parties and those who voted PN, there is a clear majority who do not agree with the road to ruin Joseph Muscat has sent us down. To those who expect and want more from our country, I say: take heart. The seed that will return our country to normality exists."

Independent candidate Arnold Cassola:

The Labour Party does not deserve this sort of majority. The difference comes from the thousands who chose not to vote - they can change the country.  
I worry that the PL's arrogance will now grow. 

It also looks like [far-right demagogue Norman] Lowell will get quite a few votes. It's worrying that there are thousands of people who are happy to see disabled babies killed, low IQ people sterilised, and so on. It's food for thought for those who are not voting. 

Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Carmel Cacopardo:

It is still too early to comment on how the party fared given that only a third of votes have been counted. It seems however that a bigger percentage of voters than usual have decided to associate themselves with the politics of hate. This is worrying because this might lead to the bigger parties to pander to this culture rather than work against it. For decency's sake as a nation, Maltese politics should understand and engage with xenophobia in a way which never ceases to uphold values of humanity and solidarity.