The Labour Party on Tuesday made history by winning a 5-0 majority in Cospicua, the first time a clean sweep was registered, but then lost two highly-contested local councils to the Nationalist Party.

The PN flipped the councils at Msida and San Gwann, continuing a trend that was established on the first day of the counting process at Naxxar, when it had gained seats in five localities. 

The counting process continued in Naxxar on Tuesday and, after both parties retained a series of localities they were already in control of, the drama began when the PN first won the majority in San Gwann and quickly followed it up with Msida. The mayor in Msida will be Charles Selvaggi.

Earlier, the PL had celebrated the first time a 5-0 score was achieved in a locality that has been traditionally Labout for decades.

Marco Agius has been elected mayor here. A decrease in population saw the number of concillors elected drop to five from seven. 

Another indication is that the Labour Party is set to lose the majority in Birkirkara. But whether the PN wins 7-6 or there will be a 6-6-1 situation - with the election of an independent candidate - remains to be seen. In this locality, Birkirkara has lost up to nine per cent of the votes it had achieved last time round.

If this happens, the situation will be similar to that of Mellieha, where a 4-4-1 result occurred, as an independent candidate was elected to deny Labour the majority it had in 2019.

The first locality to be declared was Sannat, one hour into the counting process. The locality remains in Labour's control, with Philip Vella as mayor.

Kalkara has also remained with a Labour 4-1 majority, with Wayne Aquilina as mayor. Cospicua and Marsaxlokk have also remained under Labour control. Steven Grech stays on as Marsaxlokk mayor.

In Ghaxaq, the Labour Party retained the majority, with Karl Boxall as mayor. Karl is the son of John Boxall, a long-time mayor of Vittoriosa.

Another council won by Labour, as expected, was that of Gudja. Romeo Baldacchino is the new mayor, as he replaces Maria Sara Vella Gafa who did not contest the local council election, but took her chances in the EP election, where she was not elected. Vella Gafa was the first to congratulate her successor.

Pieta has remained on Labour's side, with Stefano Savo elected mayor.

The Labour Party also won Xaghra again, with Victor Curmi being the mayor. Labour says that it has won the majority with a 300-seat lead.

Rabat was also retained by Labour, with Sandro Craus remaining mayor, while Jorge Grech remains mayor of Zabbar, where Labour retained its majority.

In Marsascala, Mario Calleja kept his seat as mayor, as Labour obtained the majority here too, as it did in Paola, where Jason Silvio is the mayor.

Fgura also remained in the hands of the Labour Party, with Clayton Cascun Portelli elected mayor.

On the other side of the political fence, the PN celebrated winning Lija, a locality they already controlled. Anthony Dalli remains mayor, and the indications are that the PN could win a fourth seat.

Victoria also remains with a PN majority, with Brian Azzopardi moving on from deputy mayor to mayor.

Sliema has also remained with a Nationalist Party majority, the same as Mgarr, where the PN has a 3-2 majority.

It is likely that the PN, in spite of being in the minority, has increased its number of votes in Kalkara, Gudja and Marsaxlokk, and also in Sliema, where it holds a majority.

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri was for a time literally sitting on the floor making calculations from samples received on the counting process on Xaghra.

In other localities, Gharb saw the Gharb L-Ewwel group win the majority of votes, but not the majority of seats. The residents group's leader David Apap was far away the most popular candidate as he achieved 555 votes by himself.  The group as a whole achieved 591 votes - equivalent to 56.29%.  That was not enough for all three candidates to be elected.

The group elected Apap and Lisa Marie Brooke, while the PL - which won 330 votes, equivalent to 31.43% - elected Tonio Mifsud and Joseph Mizzi.  The PN achieved 129 votes - equivalent to 12.29% - and elected Louis Apap to the remaining seat. 

The counting of votes today are for the councils of Fgura, Marsaskala, Sliema, Rabat (Malta), Birkirkara, Lija, Rabat (Gozo), Marsaxlokk, Msida, Kalkara, Żabbar, San Ġwann, Mġarr, Paola, Gudja, Għaxaq, Għarb, Bormla, Xagħra, Sannat, Pietà.

There will be no counting of votes in Mdina as no election took place, given that only five candidates submitted their nomination for the five seats available.

Yesterday, on the first day, the Labour Party won the majority of councils but saw its majority decrease in five localities, where it lost seats.