Bernard Grech will be ceding the fifth district, the one in which he got fewer votes, as per Nationalist Party statute.

The PN had on Monday said that, as per its internal structure, MPs who are elected from two districts are bound to give up the seat in which they obtained the fewer votes, unless electoral laws provide for other ways.

This means that Grech will give up his seat on the fifth district, giving Stanley Zammit the best chance to take it in a casual election.

The other seats that will be given up are those of Stephen Spiteri (third), Ryan Callus and Adrian Delia (both seventh), Joe Giglio and Robert Arrigo (both ninth) and Mark Anthiony Sammut (10th).

On the ninth, the two seats are to be contested by Jason Azzopardi and Karol Aquilina, both of whom were not elected in spite of being among the more "present" in PN circles.

Aquilina has a better chance to be elected from the 10th, where he was more popular.

With regard to the ninth, two mayors - Noel Muscat (Swieqi) and Albert Buttigieg (St Julian's) may be in with a chance too, while Eve Borg Bonello also did well.

As for district seven, Charles Azzopardi and Rebekah Cilia seem to have the better chances to replace Delia and Callus.

Jason Azzopardi, who did not make it to Parliament in either of the two districts he contested, including the fourth, has declared his intention to contest a casual election, while Karol Aquilina has indicated that he will do the same.

To the voters on the 9th district, Azzopardi said he appreciated the respect and trust they showed him, even if he was only a candidate there for a few weeks. He said that he will ensure that he fulfils their wish and will contest the casual elections that will take place there. “I know that I don’t have much of a chance to be elected through these casual elections, but out of respect to them I will throw my name into the hat, even though I realistically know that I only have a small chance.”

Newly elected MP Joe Giglio as well as veteran Robert Arrigo were elected on two districts – both the 9th and the 10th districts. The PN statute requires that, unless the electoral system does not provide for a different method, candidates contesting in the name of the PN and are elected on two districts, would vacate the seat in the district where they got the smallest percentage of first count votes, as a percentage of the district quota.

Azzopardi said that it is to be expected that Saturday’s election result “will cause sadness and disappointment for me, for the PN and for all those who voted for PN candidates. Especially for those of us who literally risked everything and worked against currents to deliver the PN’s message.” Azzopardi said that this is the moment for him to thank all the voters on the fourth and ninth districts who placed their trust in him.

To the voters on the fourth district, he said that it was the highest privilege in his life to have been trusted by them since 1998, when he was elected to Parliament for the first time in their name. He praised Mark Anthony Sammut for being elected for the first time on the 4th district. Azzopardi wished Mark Anthony Sammut well, and said that he is sure he will represent the fourth district with dignity.

Also posting on Facebook, Karol Aquilina said: “To the all the voters of the 9th and 10th districts, I assure them that in the coming days I will take every step needed so that their votes will be translated in the way they wanted.”

Aquilina said that he received almost three times more votes on the 10th district than he did in 2017, and thanked the voters for placing their trust in him, adding that he was the candidate with the third highest number of first count votes on the district. “The fact that I wasn’t elected through the inheritance of votes does not reduce my appreciation towards the people.”

He congratulated all his colleagues who were elected.