The results are in following the vote by 5097 Monegasques for the 24 seats in the National Council. That is a participation by 70.35% (74.4% in 2013) of those allowed to vote, greater than typical of other western European countries.

The results are conclusive for the Party “(Priorite Monaco) Primo!” whose leader Stephane Valeri led a well-oiled campaign and is now destined to be President of the National Council when his election as leader will be carried out shortly. He will formally replace Christophe Steiner.

Stephane Valeri is a veteran of the political scene having been President of the National Council twice before in 2003 and 2008. For a time, from 2010 he was also Minister of Health and Social Affairs. The majority of the 24 seats go to Stephane Valeri’s Primo! Some seats are distributed to minority parties who have more than 5% of the vote to provide for a good debate between the majority and minority parties, while leaving no doubt about the majority and the leadership. Everything points the way to a productive and stable relationship between the National Council and the Government.

Under Monaco’s constitution the Executive powers are invested in the Prince who is the highest authority and who chooses a Minister of State (Serge Telle) to lead the Government. The National Council has less power than its equivalent in France. Its role is to discuss and vote on laws presented by the Government, to vote on the national budget and ratify international treaties, but not to initiate or amend legislation. Parliament in Monaco has a single Chamber, being the National Council, which contrasts with the U.K. and the U.S. for example which have two Chambers.

The two other main parties were magnanimous in their speeches recognizing their defeat. Beatrice Fresko-Rolfo for Horizon Monaco was proud to be the first woman in her role and hoped this paved the way for women in future. Horizon will have two seats in the Chamber.

Jean-Louis Grinda for Union Monegasque recognized the victory of Primo! but felt that his party had sown the seeds of some good new ideas for the future. Union Monegasque will have one seat in the Chamber.

Stephane Valeri and Primo! are the majority party and will have 21 of the 24 seats in the Chamber. </s> Valletta (dpa) - Malta‘s Labour Party cruised to a landslide victory on Sunday in a major vote of confidence for Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, despite the claims of corruption that dogged his government. 



Party projections showed the Labour Party won 55.2 per cent of the vote against the centre-right Nationalist Party‘s 44 per cent, much higher than the five per cent projections reflected in polls. 



Muscat, 43, saw off the challenge from Simon Busuttil, 48, after a tense four-week election campaign in which the prime minister was under siege for retaining his chief of staff and a prominent minister who were accused of having secret companies in Panama.



"The people have confirmed their trust in this movement, despite it being the target of one of the most negative campaigns in our country‘s history," Muscat told thousands of supporters who gathered outside the party headquarters.



Malta, the smallest member of the European Union with around 430,000 residents, holds the rotating council presidency of the European Union until the end of June. </s> Labour supporters take to the streets to celebrate after early results indicate a comfortable victory for ruling party.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has declared victory in Malta's snap election after preliminary results showed his Labour Party heading towards a second mandate.

A sample count of ballots on Sunday showed Labour having a majority of more than 30,000 votes, equivalent to nearly 10 percent of the electorate.

"It is clear that the people have chosen to stay the course," said Muscat, who called the snap vote to counter allegations of corruption against his wife and some of his political allies.

Simon Busuttil, the leader of the opposition Nationalist Party (PN), made a telephone call to Muscat to concede defeat in Saturday's election.

"As always, we respect the decision of the electorate," Busuttil said in a tweet.

After the announcement of the preliminary results,Labour supporters took to the streets in celebration, gathering near party clubs and waving flags.

A crowd gathered near the party's headquarters and workers were erecting a stage at the granaries in Floriana, Times of Malta reported.

The turnout was 92 percent of the more than 340,000 eligible voters, the election commission said. Official results are expected later on Sunday.

Muscat, 43, is expected to be sworn in on Monday, after which he will begin forming his new government that will have a five-year mandate.

During the election campaign, Muscat promised continuity and greater wealth for a country that has the lowest unemployment rate ever at 4.1 percent - the third lowest in Europe - and in 2016 registered a budget surplus for the first time in three decades.

The victory indicates that there will be no major disruption to the business of the European Union, whose presidency Malta holds until the end of this month.

Shortly after polls closed, Malta's President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca called for a process of reconciliation to begin after what she called a campaign full of "aggressive and abusive language" both by politicians and the public.

"I want to see people returning to open dialogue, which is the basis of a healthy democracy," she said.

Muscat, who has been prime minister since 2013, went to the polls a year after his wife was accused of being the beneficial owner of a secret Panamanian shell company used to bank unexplained payments from Azerbaijan's ruling family.

His chief of staff and a government minister have separately admitted having their own, previously undeclared Panama-registered companies, following revelations from last year's massive data leak from the Mossack Fonseca legal firm based in the Central American country.

Muscat has come under fire for not sacking the two of them.

The PN had warned that even if Muscat won the election, he would still remain under pressure as magistrates investigate claims of corruption made against him and his ministers.

Muscat has however denied any wrongdoing and promised to quit if any evidence emerges of his family having an undeclared offshore account.
Primo ! Priorité Monaco, a new political party, wins 21 of the 24 seats in the National Council.