Robert Abela will continue where Joseph Muscat left and implement the necessary changes, outgoing prime minister said on Sunday.

Dr Abela will serve as Malta’s next prime minister after beating Chris Fearne to be elected Labour Party leader. Dr Muscat gave his final farewell speech on Friday night.

In a call-in on One Radio, Dr Muscat said that while his resignation on Monday afternoon will absolve all ministers of their role and Dr Abela will choose a new cabinet, the PL mandate remained the same.

“Yesterday party members gave the government a vote of confidence to continue with its current direction." Dr Abela now needed to change things that were based on mistaken decisions or that could have been done better, he added.

Dr Muscat said he will be the first one to support the new prime minister to take such changes, encouraging all those who supported the "Labour movement" to give their “unconditional support” to the new leader.

He believed that his successor has “all the qualities to move forward” and maintain “continuity”. 

Neville Gafà, the Keith Schembri aide who was sacked by Mr Fearne was one of the first to publish a Facebook post proclaiming 'continuity' [Kontinwita’] as the votes were still being counted. 

Dr Muscat said: “I’m proud that I’ll be giving Dr Abela a handover and start calling him my prime minister - he is one of the brightest minds I have ever met. 

“Some have told me he is too young and inexperienced, but even I used to be told so.”

On Mr Fearne, Dr Muscat said he will remain central to the government’s work.
He thanked him for his work as deputy leader, saying that he had run a positive leadership campaign. 

About Saturday's voting, he said the election process was a show of how democratic, strong and healthy the labour party was. The 92% turnout was proof of the strength of the party. 

He also commended the “exceptional organisation” of the voting process, saying the PL was the most “organised organisation in the country”.