Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/319158
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 28 MAY 2014 3 MIRIAM DALLI THIS year's European Parliament elections were not only a surprise in terms of the results registered but also in terms of the success en- joyed by female candidates. This is the first time that two fe- male candidates – Labour's Miriam Dalli and the PN's Roberta Metsola – were directly elected to the Euro- pean Parliament. Perhaps an interesting trend was observed during the vote transfers of the first female candidates to be eliminated. In the case of Fleur Vella (PL), Helga Ellul (PN) and Deborah Schembri (PL) – eliminated at the sixth, fourteenth, and nineteenth counts respectively – there was an average 66% transfer of their votes to female candidates. This means that two-thirds of their votes were passed to women candidates, even though this was concentrated in the main within their own party. Helga Ellul's votes had higher cross-party voting – of the 2,068 votes transferred to women candi- dates (67% of her total transfers), 94 went to candidates of the opposing party. Miriam Dalli, elected on the 23rd count, had a lower surplus of 1,554 votes above the 35,959 quota, and less women candidates to give her votes to. But 45% of these, 700, went to a woman candidate: Mar- lene Mizzi (PL). Metsola was first elected to the EP last year in the casual elections, taking Simon Busuttil's seat when he was elected PN deputy leader. Both women expressed satisfac- tion at the results: Metsola gar- nered 32,360 first preference votes, surpassing the PN's head of delega- tion David Casa with almost 12,800 votes. With the quota set at 35,979, Met- sola was elected on the 16th count, followed by Dalli on the 23rd count. Dalli garnered 23,479 first prefer- ence votes, placing her second after newly-elected MEP Alfred Sant. Metsola and Dalli expressed sat- isfaction at their result. "This was my first election and my first preference votes meant a lot to me. It also means I have greater responsibility towards the elector- ate and I am determined to give my best to the country," Dalli said. Being the first ever-female La- bour candidate directly elected to the EP, Dalli said she hoped that this could serve to boost the female participation in both political and social fora. On her part, Metsola said her re- sult was determined by her decision to bring the EU discussion to Malta on issues which directly impacted the Maltese citizens. News Busuttil insists he will not resign YESTERDAY morning PN leader Simon Busuttil took the unprece- dented step of announcing – before any clear winner for the sixth seat was declare –that he would not be resigning as PN leader. The PN lost by nearly 14 points to the Labour Party in the European Parliamentary election held last Saturday. Behind the scenes, Busuttil was egged on by aides – and particularly Richard Cachia Caruana – to stress that the Labour Party had slightly reduced in its vote share from 2009. Busuttil told the journalists that he would not chicken out. Sporting a blue shirt, he addressed the media at the press room in Naxxar, accom- panied by deputy leaders Mario de Marco and Beppe Fenech Adami. Answering a question by MaltaTo- day journalist Jurgen Balzan he also said that there would be no election defeat report. "At present, the final result is not known," Busuttil said while electoral counting agents were surveying the transfer of the votes for far-rightist Norman Lowell. "We are waiting to see where the sixth seat will be allocated. Labour has certainly won three seats, the PN two, but the sixth is still in the balance," Busuttil said. Throughout his address to the press, both deputy leaders stayed si- lent and did not intervene. "Although this is a disappointing result, the project we have started at the PN is a long-term one. The mountain the PN has to climb is a big one. We are determined to keep working and rebuild the PN to give the electorate a challenge and a choice." Busuttil also portrayed himself as being willing to stay on despite in- ternal currents within his party that will be jostling for changes. "Now is the moment that the PN needs those kinds of determined people who do not lose heart and who do not run off at the time the party needs them. It is normal to be disheartened… but we are not for turning." "The lady's not for turning" was a phrase used by Margaret Thatcher, then UK Prime Minister, in her speech to the Conservative Party Conference on 10 October 1980. It was considered to be a defining speech in Thatcher's political devel- opment, becoming something of a Thatcherite motto. Asked whether he will be resign- ing, Busuttil said the easiest thing for him would be "to throw in the towel… but we would be chickening out. Whoever loves the party, must stay on. The biggest damage would be to leave." Women MEPs are 2014's success Echoing Margaret Thatcher, Simon Busuttil said that the PN "is not for turning" while addressing journalists at the counting hall in Naxxar yesterday PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD Roberta Metsola (left) and Miriam Dalli at the counting hall yesterday ! !"#$%&&%!'($)(**+,-.!/012!! !3$%4#!5%$$(!/672!! !8%$9(!1$$4$!/6:2!! !! $%&'()*! $%&'()+! $%&'(),-! !?,#,(>!;($$,! @! AB! CD! !?(#$%-%!?,GG,! E! AD! E@! !;%<.#(+!=*+%><#,! C! EBJ! EE! !3$%4#!5%$$(! H! F! F! !K+%#%L%!M.>>.),-,!M(*+,(! D! D! CNN! !8%$9(!1$$4$! D! H! F! !O.<%#&(!?%&L.$(! D! E! HAJB! !"#"$%!&'()*!+,-*./),.! 01! 234! 0567! )01023)042567"44"8! -.9! +::! 9:+;! )=)>%?@')(AB'CD@AC! *E:;=! ++E,;=! +;E-9=! !:.-F&#(-LP%#(<$%L! EH! HA! HHA! !KQK"7!R,&+.4&!:K=! CIE! ABA! 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