Minister says no need for election in Għargħur after shift in mayoral majority
Owen Bonnici says the new PL-backed mayor was lawfully appointed after the PN lost its council majority
The law “does not envisage” fresh elections in Għargħur after a confidence motion last week saw the council's majority shift to Labour, Owen Bonnici, the minister responsible for local government, said.
“The Nationalist Party no longer holds the majority of council seats following a loss of confidence in the mayor's leadership by a majority of the councillors, three out of five. This has led to a change in leadership,” he said.
“The new majority has exercised its democratic right to select a leader who they believe is best placed to guide the council forward.”
The majority shifted after one of the PN's councillors, Francesca Attard, left the party and voted with Labour in a no-confidence motion in the mayor, Helen Gauci.
The PN won a majority of 62% in the June elections in Gharghur and held three of the five seats in the council.
Following last week's developments the PN insisted that the government should respect the will of the Gharghur residents and call a fresh election. A protest is due to be held on Wednesday.
In comments to Times of Malta, Bonnici argued that what happened was within the “mechanisms” of democracy.
“The law does not envisage the calling of fresh elections under such circumstances. It is essential that the mechanisms of representative democracy, as established by our legal framework, are respected and upheld,” he said.
Can an early election be called for local councils?
The Local Councils Act points to particular circumstances when the central government can dissolve a local council and call an early election.
That can happen when a council cannot establish a working majority, or when there is a lack of agreement on approving the council budget.
Early elections can also be called if all the councillors resign and cannot be replaced through a casual election or when “the council cannot function for whatever reason.”
In Għargħur, Attard’s decision to back Labour councillor Mariah Meli to become mayor means that the council can carry on functioning with a PL working majority.
Councils have been dissolved and early elections called before, notably in 2008 in Mtarfa following internal squabbles that left the council unable to function.
That election saw the Nationalist Party secure a majority in a council that was previouslywas held by Labour.
Councils were also dissolved in Paola and Sannat.