Moments after Nationalist Party secretary general Joe Saliba announced the PN’s win ensuring Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi another five years in government, cars jammed the streets with waving flags, sounding horns with screaming people celebrating the closely-won election.
After a whole day of uncertainty and rumours about which political party was ahead, at around 9.20pm, Mr Saliba walked out into the counting hall, accompanied by Investment, Industry and Information Technology Minister Austin Gatt, both with visible smiles on their faces. As soon as Nationalist supporters saw them, they broke out into loud cheers and clapping.
It took a few minutes for the excited crowd to calm down. In a brief comment, Mr Saliba said that all the indications showed a slim victory for the Nationalist Party. As soon as he uttered these words, the enthusiasm of the crowd could not be contained. Lifting Mr Saliba – who made v-signs to the screaming crowd – and Dr Gatt on their shoulders, the crowd started chanting Nationalist slogans.
After almost 12 hours of nerve-wracking tension in households, offices of the political parties, including their headquarters, and especially at the Naxxar counting hall, Nationalist supporters had their wish granted and flooded the streets, especially Sliema and Paceville, to celebrate the much-awaited victory.
Unofficial figures gave the Nationalist Party a 0.4 per cent advantage over the Malta Labour Party, who originally started off yesterday with high hopes. The figures quoted gave PN a victory at 49.3 per cent while MLP was quoted as losing with 48.9 per cent. The remaining 1.8 per cent was taken by the smaller parties.
A few minutes after Mr Saliba’s comments, a visibly tired MLP Deputy Leader Michael Falzon refused to give the Labour Party’s comment on the situation and briefly stated that the MLP would await the first count of all the Labour Party candidates and, by elimination, the first count of the Nationalists.
Although small groups of supporters of both parties did go out carcading throughout the afternoon, these were contained especially after both Dr Falzon and Mr Saliba requested their respective supporters not to celebrate before the final results.
Labour supporters started celebrating early – a large crowd had already gathered close to the MLP headquarters at around 7.30am. Police security was high – the streets surrounding the Labour headquarters and the PN headquarters were completely closed off to traffic with barriers. In various parts of the island, people were seen carcading waving MLP flags. In Zabbar, one Labour supporter was carried away and instead of letting off petards, he fired two shots from his roof. However, no one was hurt in the incident and the man immediately collaborated with the police.
At around 10.30am, a crowd of enthusiastic Labour supporters wearing red tops, waving flags with the Labour Party logo had gathered. Using foghorns, red squibs (suffarelli) and singing along to the songs used in Labour Party electoral campaign, they made their presence felt.
Just after noon, Opposition Leader Alfred Sant arrived, driving his car. The atmosphere in the crowd of Labour supporters reached fever pitch when they realised who was going to drive through. However, keeping a straight face, Dr Sant did not smile and parked in front of the MLP headquarters where he remained for at least another six hours.
However, even though yesterday started off with a very optimistic MLP and a silent PN, the mood changed in the early afternoon. At around 2pm, the rowdy MLP crowd quieted down and started waiting to see what they could hear. The fast-food kiosks that crowded the streets surrounding the MLP headquarters packed up and left.
Soon after, shouts of victory were heard from the private residence of PN supporters close to the MLP headquarters. Even though it was still very early for any results, PN supporters said that the Nationalist Party had won by 4,000 votes.
Labour supporters who were on the other end of the road, which was sealed off by steel barricades and guarded by police, started to ask what was going on.
Although the crowd thinned out, MLP officials requested the remaining supporters to go home and wait for the results – especially after news of the small difference between the two parties started going round.
In the afternoon, MLP Deputy Leader Charles Mangion and secretary general Jason Micallef arrived at the headquarters and walked in without saying a word. Although the streets were empty, groups of people stopped by at the MLP headquarters asking for news. The reply they received was simple – “Go home and watch One TV, we don’t know anything.”
Morale reached its lowest when, at around 6pm, shouts of victory and horns were heard from the PN headquarters. People watching the state television inside came running out, visibly distressed saying that PN had won by 2,000 votes – even though it was not definite.
Although disappointed, many Labour supporters said that, even though they did not agree with the decision – “the people decided and we will accept it”.
Later, when the news broke that the PN had won, Labour supporters quietly made their way home as Nationalist supporters made merry in the streets.