UPDATED at 16:07CET:
A victorious Dr Lawrence Gonzi has just addressed a huge crowd of supporters which gathered all around the Dar Centrali, Pieta’ where he thanked whosoever supported the Nationalist Party towards election victory.
In his brief speech, he thanked most especially all the youths who showed their support.
Dr Gonzi also thanked all the media, including that of the Labour Party. As he said this, some of the gathered supporters booed. This instigated Dr Gonzi to say “No, no…only together is everything possible.”
He went on to say that "We are opening a new chapter for our country" and went on to urge everyone to celebrate calmly and in a spirit of union.
Dr Gonzi also invited everyone for a mass meeting to be held on Tuesday evening at 1800CET on the granaries in Floriana.
On Monday evening, Dr Gonzi will be meeting supporters in Gozo at the Nationalist club, in Victoria.
Dr Gonzi is expected to be sworn in as Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta on Tuesday after the voting process has been completed, as is mandatory by the constitution.
He will be at the helm of state without an absolute majority. Moreover, as things stand, it is still unclear as to which party will have the majority of seats in parliament.
On the other hand, in a statement, the Malta Labour Party condemned provocation by Nationalist Party supporters celebrating who allegedly tried to go near the Labour headquarters early on Monday afternoon. The MLP said it was a clear intimidation towards the MLP administration, workers and other persons who were at the time at the Labour HQ.
The MLP also condemned all vandalisms by Nationalist supporters who targeted Labour deputy Anglu Farrugia’s home during their celebrations.
The MLP called on to the PN administration to calm its supporters and to respect the rest of the people in Malta who voted Labour in the election. The MLP also thanked the Police Corp for its exemplary work under the circumstances.
