I can’t remember any other time when a defeat was welcomed with such enthusiasm, perhaps even triumph.

The Labour Party made history by becoming the first government to win a local council election, but the Nationalist Party has so much to shout about too, having managed to halve the distance between it and the PL in just 11 months.

These may be just local council elections, and which concerned just half of the country, but they provide a good indication of what voters are thinking.

In May last year, the PN was at its lowest point; yes, even lower than it had been in 2013 when it lost the general election by 36,000 votes. The European Parliament elections saw the PN succumbing to a similar defeat, dealing another horrendous blow to the party, and making it seem that it was anchored in a dark hole from where it could not climb out. The EP poll was supposed to have been a sign that the PN was alive and kicking, but although it did manage to win a third seat by a whisker, the overall impression was that the party was in great difficulty.

Doubts about Simon Busuttil’s leadership abounded. Questions about his management flourished. And there was even talk of potential successors.

All this changed in one weekend. The results of the local council elections have brought the PN back to life, what appeared impossible is now reachable and confidence in Simon Busuttil is taking root.

The Labour Party has won the election, the Nationalist Party has lost it, but the result has shocked Labour just as much as it has galvanised the PN.

Having a 17% margin established in the local council elections four years ago – in localities which are closer to Labour than to the PN – brought down to just 9% is more of a victory for the PN than it is for Labour.

The PN has won nine extra seats, including in Labour strongholds such as Kirkop, Birzebbuga and Santa Lucija. It has maintained Mosta in spite of a huge campaign by Labour – not just the party, but the government too – to bring out all the defects of the Nationalist-led council. It has taken St Paul’s Bay again, snatching it by a few votes in a tight race that went to the wire. It has strengthened its position in Attard, Swieqi and St Julian’s.

In a nutshell, the results are living proof that the PN is back from the dead.

The only setback for the PN is the continued dwindling support in Gozo. It has lost Munxar and barely held on to Nadur. This can be attributed to the coincidence with the hunting referendum, but there is much more to it than that. The difficulties in Nadur, for example, can be linked to the Giovanna Debono situation, but let us not forget that this is also the hometown of secretary general Chris Said. It is clear that while the PN has made great strides forward in Malta, including in the south, it has a great challenge in Gozo.

Considering that the Labour government and party executed a huge electoral campaign, which included the energy tariffs reduction for businesses and the presence in Malta of Italian Prime Minister Renzi on the eve of the election, the result obtained by the Nationalist Party is of even greater significance.

The road ahead is, however, still arduous for the Nationalist Party. But now it has the conviction that, when the next election comes in three years’ time, it will not be – in Simon Busuttil’s own words – a “walkover”.