Malta gets its first three female MEPs

Marlene Mizzi, Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas and Claudette Abela Baldacchino are the three new MEPs, elected today following the resignations of deputy prime minister Louis Grech, Finance Minister Edward Scicluna and PN MP Simon Busuttil from the European Parliament.

The three are also the first women to represent Malta at the European Parliament.

Mizzi, the first to be elected with 23,977 votes, won the seat vacated by Scicluna, while Metsola Tedesco Triccas won the seat vacated by Simon Busuttil. Abela Baldacchino took the seat vacated by Louis Grech.

The three women will be joining Labour MEPs Joseph Cuschieri and John Attard Montalto and Nationalist MEP David Casa as the inidviduals representing Malta at the European Parliament.

As it happened

Marlene Mizzi is officially Malta's first MEP today as the first ballots opened from former MEP, now finance minister Edward Scicluna look squarely set to fall into the entrepreneur's lap.

Mizzi, the first candidate to be elected today, secured 23,977 votes on the first count.

Nationalist candidate Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas won Simon Busuttil's seat, with approximately 23,000 votes.

In brief comments to the press, the newly-elected MEP said tomorrow she would be travelling to Brussels to see which European Parliament committees she could form part of and start working for the country's best interest.

"There are issues such as immigration and security which we must work on," she said.

Official result of the first count placed her well ahead with 13,194 votes, followed by Rudolph Cini with 9,868 votes, Vince Farrugia with 8,782 votes and Alan Deidun with 7,930 votes. Subsequent counts led to the elimination of Deidun and Farrugia.

Second count has now started for the seat vacated by Louis Grech, where Claudette Abela Baldacchino is expected to win the seat making her the third and last female candidate to secure a seat in parliament. Final result is expected to be in two or three hours' time given the possibility that Glenn Bedingfield and Sharon Ellul Bonici may be very close.

First count votes placed Abela Baldacchino well ahead with 13,716 votes, followed by Glenn Bedingfield with 8,586, Sharon Ellul Bonici (6,730), Christian Joseph Zammit (4,267), Maria Dolores Camilleri (3,682) and Stephen Borg (1,837).

Eleven candidates have submitted their nomination for the European Parliament seats vacated by former MEPs Simon Busuttil, Louis Grech and Edward Scicluna following their successful election to the Maltese parliament.

The casual elections are taking place today at the counting hall in Naxxar. The three MEPs to be elected today will serve until May 2014 when the actual MEP elections take place across the 27 EU member states.

Nominations submitted for the seat vacated by Simon Busuttil include Rudolph Cini, Alan Deidun, Vince Farrugia and Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas.

Nominations submitted for the two seats vacated by Louis Grech and Edward Scicluna include Claudette Abela Baldacchino, Glenn Bedingfield, Steve Borg, Maria Camilleri, Sharon Ellul Bonici, Marlene Mizzi and Christian Joseph Zammit.

It's a relatively quiet atmosphere with the occasional holler of "dubjuż!" (dubious vote) echoing through the halls as counting agents sort through the ballot sheets.

Tal-Ajkla elections candidate Zaren Bonnici also found some time to visit the counting hall, who was welcomed by Martin Bugelli, the Head of the European Commission's representation office in Malta.

Accompanied by Michael Fenech Adami and his assistants, PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil also visited the counting hall where he met the candidates.

MEP elections 2014: 'the first test for the PN' - de Marco

PN leadership candidate Mario de Marco said the first crucial test for the Nationalist Party were the 2014 MEP elections.

"It is our chance to start decreasing the gap among the electorate and our goal must be electing the third seat," De Marco said following a brief tour of the counting hall.

He said the PN should start vetting as strong group of candidates as early as possible, allowing the approved candidates enough time to work on their candidature.

Asked what were the qualities an MEP candidate should hold, De Marco pointed out that candidates should have the willingness and commitment to work and the ability to form alliances with foreign MEPS.

"The work of an MEP is vast, and the candidate must therefore hold the commitment to work and the willingness to participate in a number of committees," de Marco said, explained that Malta's six-seat in parliament put us at a disadvantage when compared to other member states.

"This also means that a candidate must be able to form alliances and seek the support of other MEPs. It's important to strengthen our alliances with the UK and seek the support of others when it comes to different issues," he added.

Later on, early afternoon, PN leadership candidate Ray Bugeja also visited the counting complex to meet the PN candidates.