Updated | Chris Cardona elected Labour's deputy leader for party affairs

Sorting and counting of votes underway at Labour's headquarters to elect new deputy leader. (Video: Chris Mangion)

Chris Cardona elected Labour's deputy leader for party affairs. (Video:Chris Mangion)

Economy Minister Chris Cardona has been elected deputy leader for party affairs with 389 votes. Justice Minister Owen Bonnici garnered 339 votes. Cardona garnered 53.4% of the votes.

737 delegates have turned up to vote to elect Labour's new deputy leader for party affairs, in a run-off between Economy Minister Chris Cardona and Justice Minister Owen Bonnici.

The figure represents a 96.6% turnout. Voting closed at 8pm and the boxes were sealed. The reconciliation of votes followed, after which the sorting and counting started. Nine out of the 737 votes cast were invalid. Quota is at 365 votes.

By the fifth table - there were eleven - Cardona garnered 170 votes while Bonnici was at 162 votes. The race is close and the agents are taking their time in counting the votes as representatives of both candidates watch over like a hawk.

By the seventh table, Cardona was clearly in the lead with 242 votes while Bonnici followed, at 222 votes.

By table 10, Cardona had 353 votes while Bonnici had 308 votes.

In his first comments to the media, newly-elected deputy leader Chris Cardona had words of praise for both Bonnici and Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, reminding that three candidates had promised each other to serve as a shoulder.

Cardona described the delegates’ participation in the election as one that showed “a high level of enthusiasm”.

“This election has shown that the party is ready to get back on track, become the strong party it was, built on ideas and enthusiasm in its mission to seek a better quality of life for the people,” he said.

Echoing the Prime Minister’s message, Cardona said that the party must strive to build bridges but, first, it must built bridges with the delegates.

“The party has a strong human resource: every delegate and every activist is essential. But we must also have a wider vision,” he said.

With reference to the Panama Papers revelations, Cardona said there was no doubt this had changed the party.

“It was a phase and like the change in seasons, we are now at a stage where we can focus on delivering results,” he said.

Cardona went on to thank former deputy leader Toni Abela, whom he a described as a person who had inspired him a lot in his political career.  

“With his humility, persuasion and personal sacrifice he has shared that knowledge with us,” Cardona said.

On his part, Bonnici congratulated Cardona for the “clear result” that placed the latter as deputy leader.

Bonnici went on to point out that the campaign had served the party well, in that they invested their time in listening to the delegates.

“Now that we have a new deputy leader, I look forward to continue working within this government and my district with even more energy. We will continue working on implementing our electoral programme so that, in two years’ time, we will register another electoral win,” Bonnici said.

“Count me in for my support,” he told Cardona.

Earlier

Over 700 Labour Party delegates will be heading to the party’s headquarters in Hamrun – and the party club in Victoria – to cast a second vote in the race to elect their new deputy leader for party affairs.

The hotly contested election saw former PL president Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi eliminated from the race on Friday evening, by just 11 votes. All three candidates, which include Justice Minister Owen Bonnici and Economy Minister Chris Cardona, have spent the last few weeks lobbying the delegates, meeting the party structures and pledging a leadership closer to the grassroots.

Last night’s first round saw Cardona clearly in the lead, having garnered 310 votes. The rest of the votes were split between Bonnici (224) and Zrinzo Azzopardi (213), an indication of a more moderate vote being split between the two candidates.

All eyes will be on understanding who will be inheriting Zrinzo Azzopardi’s votes. The guessing game will not be an easy one. Many factors will come into play, including whether delegates will choose to consolidate Friday’s vote or opt for a complete game change.

Observers have repeatedly noted that an internal election is highly volatile: indeed, whilst Bonnici and Cardona were both touted as favourites, the result achieved by Zrinzo Azozpardi left many positively impressed.

But such elections are also known to be unpredictable: during the leadership election of 1992, Alfred Sant obtained 414 votes in the first round against the 537 garnered by Lino Spiteri. The third candidate, Joe Brincat, had received only 119. But the tables turned in the run-off when Sant garnered 639 votes, 102 more than Spiteri.

Labour is seeking a new deputy leader for party affairs after Konrad Mizzi, the former energy minister – revealed to have opened an offshore company in Panama while in office – was told to step down from the party position. Mizzi retained his minister’s position inside the Office of the Prime Minister.
The deputy leadership post was traditionally created for non-MPs, but the Labour leadership’s insistence on having Mizzi as deputy leader led to changes in the party statute and a one-horse race to elect the minister.

Prime Minister and Labour leader Joseph Muscat has described the past weeks as a period where the party needed to take a good look at itself. But, he also insisted that the direction of the movement he created was clear.

“Our direction is clear and we know where we’re going. There are no doubts about that. I am here to lead a movement and for that we need to remain that the same party which the people associate with the party in government,” Muscat told delegates on Thursday.

“The Labour movement needs to get back on a positive track. Government continued working and results were achieved … but the party came to a halt.”