[WATCH] Casual elections: Three PL mayors elected, Cutajar and Bedingfield re-elected to House

The Labour Party has elected six new faces to parliament after casual elections took place at the Naxxar counting hall on Thursday to fill seats vacated by dual-candidacy MPs.

Incumbent MPs Rosianne Cutajar and Glenn Bedingfield also made it through on the sixth and second districts respectively.

Rosianne Cutajar (Photo: James Bianchi)

There were 38 nominations for the nine vacancies although Rebecca Buttigieg was secured a seat since she was the only available candidate to contest the two casual elections on the 9th District.

The other seat on the 9th District will be filled by co-option and the PL executive has already approved the Prime Minister’s nomination, Randolph Debattista. Debattista was earlier this week also appointed PL CEO.

The process was over in just under an hour since the counting happened electronically.

In the first election of the day, the Ħaż-Żebbuġ mayor, family doctor Malcolm Agius Galea, was elected MP on the seventh district for the seat vacated by Silvio Schembri. Galea is a newcomer in the general election.

Romilda Baldacchino Zarb. Photo: James Bianchi

Another mayor, this time of Mosta, newcomer Romilda Baldacchino Zarb, was elected on the 11th district, for the seat vacated by Miriam Dalli.

Yet another mayor, 27-year-old, Omar Farrugia of Mqabba, was elected on the fifth district.

Newcomer Katya Degiovanni, currently serving as chairperson of the Social Care Standards Authority (SCSA), was elected on the fourth district.

Marsaskala businessman Ray Abela, also contesting for the first time, was elected on the third district.

The casual elections also spelt the end for incumbent MPs Olivier Scicluna, Jean Claude Micallef, and veterans Joe Mizzi and Tony Agius Decelis, who failed to get elected.

The four women elected means that female representation in the PL parliamentary group has risen to seven, without the gender corrective mechanism being applied.

Gender mechanism

Today's results mean that when the gender mechanism kicks in, the following six female candidates who contested with the PL will also make it to parliament: Alicia Bugeja Said (3rd District), Cressida Galea (1st District), Abigail Camilleri (13th District), Amanda Spiteri Grech (4th District), Naomi Cachia (7th District) and Davina Sammut Hili (1st District).

The casual elections were held on the following districts:

2nd District (seat ceded by Clyde Caruana)

Glenn Bedingfield (Photo: James Bianchi)

Nominations: Glenn Bedingfield, Edward Cassar Delia, James Grech, Mark Grech, Joe Mizzi, Oliver Scicluna and Amanda Spiteri Grech

3rd District (seat ceded by Owen Bonnici)

Ray Abela (Photo: James Bianchi)

Nominations: Ray Abela, Alicia Bugeja Said, Edward Cassar Delia, Audrey Demicoli, James Grech, Jean Claude Micallef and Joe Mizzi

4th District (seat ceded by Chris Fearne)

Katya Degiovanni (Photo: James Bianchi)

Nominations: Glenn Bedingfield, Herbert Conti, Katya De Giovanni, Oliver Scicluna and Amanda Spiteri Grech

5th District (seat ceded by Robert Abela)

Omar Farrugia (Photo: James Bianchi)

Nominations: Gianluca Cutajar, Omar Farrugia, Jean Claude Micallef and Joseph M. Sammut

6th District (seat ceded by Ian Borg)

Nominations: Malcolm Agius Galea, Sean Apap Meli, Fiona Borg, Joseph Cutajar, Rosianne Cutajar, Katya De Giovanni and Omar Farrugia

7th District (seat ceded by Silvio Schembri)

Nominations: Malcolm Agius Galea, Alicia Bugeja Said, Naomi Cachia and Chris Grima 

9th District (seat ceded by Michael Falzon)

Nominations: Rebecca Buttigieg 

Rebecca Buttigieg (Photo: James Bianchi)

9th District (seat ceded by Clifton Grima)

Nominations: Rebecca Buttigieg

11th District (seat ceded by Miriam Dalli)

Nominations: Anthony Agius Decelis and Romilda Baldacchino Zarb

Casual elections to fill seats vacated by dual-candidacy Nationalist Party MPs are expected to take place next week.