Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1122784
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 29 MAY 2019 ANALYSIS EUROPEAN ELECTIONS District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5 District 6 District 7 District 8 District 9 District 10 District 11 District 12 District 13 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000 11,299 7,104 234 1,018 14,434 4,792 225 1,113 13,751 4,987 342 1,269 13,690 5,592 259 1,126 12,967 5,734 277 1,305 11,203 6,954 258 938 11,836 7,854 538 1,285 8,871 9,273 511 1,170 7,754 9,041 578 1,049 6,839 9,506 608 1,056 8,517 9,372 565 1,372 8,986 8,630 561 1,209 11,120 9,772 320 1,148 PL PN PD Others (no breakdown for Green and far right vote) KURT SANSONE THE Nationalist Party could only muster majorities in four of the 13 electoral districts in Saturday's European election, only surpass- ing the 50% mark in the tenth. The district results paint a very bleak picture for the PN across Malta and Gozo, with the party getting another drubbing in the south. The PN's only absolute majority (52.8%) was obtained in the tenth district, the traditional hinterland of Sliema and St Julians. In this district, the Labour Party man- aged 38% of the vote. And while the PN obtained rela- tive majorities in the eighth, ninth and eleventh districts, it suffered crushing defeats in the first seven districts. The PL obtained strong abso- lute majorities in each of the first seven districts, confirming the strength it enjoys in its traditional hinterland and beyond. The PL's best result was in the second district where it received the support of 70.2%, followed by the third district, where it regis- tered 67.6%. Across the south, the PN post- ed its lowest result in the second district (23.3%) and the highest (36.5%) in the seventh. The PN suffered crushing de- feats in the south in the 2013 and 2017 general elections and the latest EP results suggest the party has once again failed to reconnect with people in the area. The PL almost clinched an ab- solute majority in Gozo, having obtained 49.7%. The PL ended six points ahead of the PN. The gap between the parties continued to increase from the last general election. The PL also clinched the twelfth district with 46.4%, a two-point advantage over the PN. This dis- trict had returned a PN majority in the last general election. The results show that the PD's strongest showing was in the ninth and tenth, where it sur- passed the 3% threshold. The PD's weakest results - obtaining less than 2% - were in the first six dis- tricts and Gozo. The information made available to MaltaToday groups the rest of the political parties and independ- ent candidates together, however, the bulk of these votes belonged to Norman Lowell. The strongest showing by other candidates was registered in the eleventh district with 6.9%. The 6% mark was also surpassed in third, fifth and twelfth districts. PN's only absolute majority was in the tenth district The major takeaways • The PL's strong base in the south is accompanied by strong performances in other districts, giving the party nationwide support. • The PN's strength has been contained to three districts north of Marsamxett Harbour, with a dismal perfor- mance in the south. • The Democratic Party scores best in traditional PN dis- tricts but has even support in all the rest. • The Lowell phenomenon is particularly evident in those districts where an influx of foreigners or resident mi- grants has resulted in problems of law and order. Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia made a statement on live TV following news of his party's defeat in the European elections