Independent councillor goes over to the PN

Gzira independent councillor Albert Rizzo yesterday announced he has decided to become a councillor for the Nationalist Party.

As a result Gzira council now has a majority of Nationalist councillors.

In a statement the council said yesterday that during its meeting on Tuesday, councillor Albert Rizzo informed the council he was joining the Nationalist Party and that he would become a PN councillor with immediate effect.

Contacted yesterday, Mr Rizzo said that though he had contested the three local elections in Gzira as an independent, he was a Nationalist supporter and was known to be so.

Apart from being always in the middle - the council is made up of seven councillors, three for the Nationalist Party, three for the Labour Party and Mr Rizzo, independent - he often found himself in situations where a conflict arose with regard to how he voted.

Apart from Mr Rizzo, Gzira council is made up of mayor Vincenza Attard, deputy mayor Alfred Baldacchino and Alfred Kitcher for the MLP, and Ian Micallef, Barbara Buttigieg and Victor Rutter for the PN.

Mr Rizzo said he would also be contesting the general election in the interests of the Nationalist Party.