Labour whip Byron Camilleri has said he is convinced that the party’s parliamentary group will unite behind, no matter who wins the leadership election tonight.

“We all have a right to our own opinions but, as of tonight, we must show absolute loyalty to the new leader, with full respect to those who had different opinions, and I have no doubt that this will be the case,” Camilleri said on ONE, drawing parallels with rifts that publicly emerged within the Nationalist Party in the wake of the election of its leader Adrian Delia.

The majority of PL MPs have endorsed deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, but MP Robert Abela has run an energetic campaign and a MaltaToday survey published tonight indicated that he will clinch victory tonight.

Camilleri said PL MPs met up yesterday and were unanimous in their opinion that they’ll all be “gas down” behind their new leader, be it Abela or Fearne.

“That’s what the party deserves, that’s what the 16,000 members who voted tonight deserve and that’s what the people who voted us in by a historic majority deserve.”