We can't say this was the result we wanted. We can't say this was the result we toiled so hard for. Yet in life, even when the result does not match your expectations, there is always a great deal of lessons to learn. This electoral cycle is no different and here are some thoughts.

First and foremost, may the PL make good on each and every last promise it made with the Maltese public in the new legislature. But it was also an important result for the PN. After many years of soul-searching, the Nationalist Party has finally registered some significant inroads, and even though it did not manage to turn the page, it has sent a very clear message - that it is here to stay.

The PN has improved its position over the past three elections, obtaining its best result since 2013. It has increased the number of votes on most districts, flipped Gozo to its natural home, and even elected an extra seat on a number of Labour fortress districts such as the Fourth and Fifth. On a personal level I am nothing but humbled by the result. I promise to return this trust I have received with indefatigable dedication.

It's not easy for any political party to contend with defeat. Yet, I have spent the last few days analysing the numbers, talking to people, discussing the result, hearing what our volunteers had to say, and understanding what members of the electorate, who may not necessarily be in any way involved with the PN had in mind.

There is a general consensus that the PN has found its soul again. There is a renewed interest from quarters that hadn't been felt for many years - some even mentioned pre-EU accession days. As Alex Borg said on Sunday, it is finally evident why the Prime Minister called an election a full year early. Had Alex Borg been given another year, who knows what would have happened?

There is a galvanizing energy that has been breathed through every corridor of PN HQ, that is far from extinguished. The Nifs Ġdid we worked so hard for, is alive and kicking.

PL on the other hand, is on its last leg. When you consider the absolute avalanche of promises it has made, some copy-pasted from the PN electoral programme, the sense-less attacks on the persons of the Leader of the Opposition and PN spokespersons, the unprecedented and obscene use of the power of incumbency up till the very last moment of voting, it did not improve on 2022, on the contrary, it lost considerable support.

The Maltese electorate is not stupid. It is seeing the PL for what it is, and it has started sending a very clear message. To the PL it is saying, get your act together. We are not happy with what you've been up to in the past years. Clean up your act, or you'll be out on your ear soon.

To the PN, the electorate is sending an equally clear message. Work hard, stay close to the electorate, refine your proposals, and continue to lead the agenda even from the Opposition benches as you have done in the past years. Particular attention needs to be drawn to Alex Borg's personal performance this election, becoming the most successful candidate on all ballots, beating even the Prime Minister himself. Alex Borg's votes are a confirmation of his popularity, the success of his message, and his new way of doing politics.

Many have remarked about how civil this campaign has been, and that is the merit of no other than Alex Borg, who rose above the petty attacks of the PL and focused solely on the policies, on the vision and the contact with the electorate.

Personally, I am nothing but proud to be returned to Parliament and cannot wait to serve my constituents who have lent me their trust, and the rest of the Maltese and Gozitan people, in the five (or four, you never know) years to come.

Darren Carabott is an Nationalist Party MP