Joe Saliba

“I am very happy with the results, as we have regained control of a number of localities that had previously turned to Labour.

This round of local council elections clearly showed that while the PN is in government it will always stand to lose, as its supporters will either make a protest vote or else experiment with voting for another party. Besides, AD’s failure to elect a candidate played in our favour, as AD’s gains are the PN’s losses.

This year’s high turnout also proved that the PN will stand to lose when there is a low turnout, for the reasons I listed earlier.

This round proved that losing local councils elections does not automatically mean that you are going to lose a general election, as we have lost the previous four rounds yet have still managed to be elected once again to government.”

Jason Micallef

“This is a very satisfactory result, as we have managed to retain the majority in this round of elections, considering that voting turnout increased by 10 to 11 per cent.

There was an increase in favour of the PN across the board. The loss of one per cent is acceptable and is reflected in the gains the PN made.

We had a pleasant surprise in Ghajnsielem, the locality with the largest number of Nationalists per capita, where we managed to secure another seat. This is a very positive result, considering that the MLP used to have great difficulties in finding candidates to contest the MLP’s ticket.

The party has lost its majority in Mqabba and Santa Venera while it has held on to its majority in Mellieha. We knew that we were going to lose some localities, however, our performance was still better than when the PN controlled these localities.

Voting trends confirmed that even though this round of local council elections coincided with the general election, PN voters still vote for the MLP at the local level.”

Ian Borg - MLP Dingli

I am very happy with my performance, given that I have achieved 1,290 votes, that is 55 per cent of votes cast. I was elected mayor three years ago, when I was 19 years old, and have been returned to office at the age of 22, now a second year law student.

I have worked for three years for the benefit of all the people of Dingli, regardless of their political colour.

John Mary Buttigieg – MLP Mellieha

My personal result reflects the three years of hard work by the council, work that has been appreciated by the people of Mellieha. I would like to thank all the voters, as well as my colleagues.

I hope that this result stimulates me to work even harder then I have done in the last six years I have been mayor.

Marthese Portelli – PN Xewkija

This is the first time I have contested a local council election and I managed to get elected on the first count, together with another PN candidate.

I am very happy with the result and appreciate the people’s trust in me, especially as I was not brought up in Xewkija but Victoria.

I am committed to work for the benefit of Xewkija through dialogue with everyone involved, as this is the best way forward.

Lauro Fava – PN Pembroke

This is the first time I have contested an election – actually I am a first-time voter. I am very happy with the result I have achieved, as I would never have imagined not being elected on the first count by just five votes.

I also managed to obtain the second highest number of first preference votes in Pembroke.

I appreciate the fact that so many people have decided to trust a 19-year-old candidate, which means that the electorate wants young and energetic councillors, and I hope that I will not disappoint it. My top priority will be to keep in close contact with the people of Pembroke.

Elizabeth Vella – PN Sta Venera

I am very happy that the PN have regained control of Santa Venera council. Now our aim is to retain that majority by working in the community, keeping a continuous dialogue and contact with the residents and sustaining our efforts for the next three years.

Graziella Galea – PN St Paul’s Bay

I have worked a lot in order to understand what the people want and this I guess helped me to gain votes and I am very happy that I have been elected as mayor the first time I have contested a local election.

I would like to thank everyone, especially my family and the previous mayor. I hope that we can work together for the good of our locality.

The fact that there are a lot of new councillors means that people want new ideas in local government.

Noel Galea – PN Mqabba

Mqabba is a very special village, as the council majority is always in the balance – this time by a mere 20 votes.

The electorate felt that it wanted a change. Our candidature was a reflection of Mqabba society, as we covered every facet of our village’s life.

Our work needs to target culture and sport, as well as the infrastructure.