Following a hectic and turbulent few months, Malta has elected the six individuals who will serve as the nation’s Members of European Parliament (MEPs) for the next five years.
Malta went out to vote on Saturday, in an election that was characterised by an increased interest in several independent candidates and a significant decrease in the gap separating the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party.
Despite the push for independent MEPs, the votes resulted in three seats each for Malta’s two major political parties.
So, who are Malta’s six elected MEPs?
Roberta Metsola – elected on first count: 87,473 votes
Roberta Metsola / Omar Havan Photography / Facebook
Roberta Metsola was the frontrunner in the leadup to the election, and the results stood true to what was expected.
After the first count, she managed a staggering total of 87,473 votes, the most out of any of the elected candidates.
She first stood for election back in 2004, and through a casual election, she found her way in European Parliament.
Since then, Dr Metsola has continued to have a growing presence in European Parliament, becoming the first Vice-President in 2020, before she was elected President just two years later, succeeding the late David Sassoli.
While her term as President comes to an end in July, she could be set to contest for a second term.
Alex Agius Saliba – elected on first count: 63,899 votes
In the same way that Dr Metsola was the frontrunner for the Nationalist Party, Alex Agius Saliba was the clear favourite for the Labour Party.
His re-election in European Parliament did not come as a surprise. After the first count, he racked up a total of 63,899 votes.
He will now be serving his second term as an MEP, with the 36-year-old first being elected in the previous MEP election back in 2019.
Mr Agius Saliba’s first term was characterised by a push towards forcing technology companies, namely tech giant Apple, to adopt a single common charger for devices sold in the EU. He had also called on the EU to investigate monopolies in food retail in Malta.
Peter Agius – elected on 35th count: 38,236 votes
After missing out on a seat in European Parliament in 2019, Peter Agius gathered enough votes this time around to become an MEP.
While he received 9,418 first preference votes, he benefitted from Dr Metsola’s second preference votes, and after the 35th count, he had 38,236 votes, the third most out of all of the candidates.
Dr Agius is a trained lawyer, and previously led the Office of the European Parliament in Malta, and was also a Speechwriter for former EU Parliament President Antonio Tajani.
He has an established history working in EU affairs and legislation, and he made sure to start his campaign early, focusing on a number of issues. Dr Agius also competed with Mr Agius Saliba on his claims about food monopolies.
David Casa – elected on 35th count: 37,623 votes
David Casa has successfully broken his own record for being the longest-serving MEP, with this being his fifth term in office.
Like Dr Agius, he gained ground from Dr Metsola’s second preference votes, and having obtained 3,683 first-count votes, Mr Casa’s total then went up to 37,623 following the 35th count.
He was the first ever Maltese MEP to lead and successfully negotiate a directive on behalf of the European People’s Party (EPP), introducing 10 days of paid paternity leave, and of the four months of parental leave for each parent, two months are now paid and non-transferable between parents.
Daniel Attard – elected on 35th count: 34,764 votes
Daniel Attard, a former Mtarfa Mayor, is a new face in European Parliament, and was one of the leading names for an MEP seat within the Labour Party.
Following the first count he had 11,703 votes, but this rose to 34,763 after the 35th count.
He served as Deputy High Commissioner to the UK in 2021, and in recent months, he has been particularly vocal about his support for former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
Dr Attard also served as a Technical Attaché to the International Labour Office in Geneva as well as Legal Attaché in Brussels. During his career, he also worked in the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade.
Thomas Bajada – elected on 37th count: 25,047 votes
Thomas Bajada, the Labour Party’s only Gozitan candidate, finishes off the elected MEPs.
Mr Bajada had 10,792 votes on the first count, yet his total came up to 25,047 following the 37th count.
While only 29 and still relatively new to local politics, he has still had quite a presence in Brussels.
He presently serves as Government Technical Attaché on Fisheries at the Permanent Representation of Malta to the EU in Brussels. Additionally, he previously worked as a political coordinator within the Parliamentary Secretariat for agriculture, fisheries, and animal rights.
While he has worked extensively in Brussels, Mr Bajada is a well-known figure in Gozo, and has served in a number of different organisations within the island.
Main Image:MEP ballot boxes / DOI - Kian Bugeja
