The first meeting of the Floriana local council, one of several hung councils in Malta, ended in a stalemate on Thursday afternoon, after the town's five councillors failed to agree on who would be named the town’s mayor.
Floriana elected two councillors each from Labour and PN, together with Floriana L-Ewwel councillor, former mayor Nigel Holland, in last month’s election.
But it remains unclear who will take the helm of the council, after an initial vote held on Thursday afternoon failed to claim a winner.
Following the meeting, PL councillor Sandra Sammut Hili took to Facebook to say that a nomination for her to be named mayor was shot down, with the two PN councillors and Holland voting against her nomination.
PN councillor James Aaron Ellul, whose 296 votes eclipsed all other candidates on the council, told Times of Malta that the PN was waiting for Labour councillors to try to reach an agreement over the mayor’s seat, since PL gained most votes in the election.
“As a party, we are adopting a common position across all hung councils that anyone who has the relative majority in that locality should first try to reach an agreement over the mayor’s seat,” Ellul said.
“In fact, I’ve asked not to be nominated mayor as yet, despite being the candidate with most votes across all parties.”
Labour took home almost 44% of the vote in last month’s election, well ahead of PN’s 31%. Holland, standing in the name of Floriana L-Ewwel, won 194 votes, just under 17%.
Attempts to contact Holland were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
The Floriana council is set to meet again next week to try resolve the impasse. If no agreement is reached after next week’s meeting, Sandra Sammut Hili, as the leading candidate from the party with the highest share of votes, looks set to be named interim mayor for three months.
Smooth sailing in Żebbuġ and Għarb, stalemate in Birkirkara
Floriana isn’t the only council finding it difficult to agree upon a mayor.
Birkirkara, one of the largest councils in the country, remains locked in a stalemate, with an initial vote held earlier this week failing to find common ground.
Malta’s other hung councils have eventually managed to reach an agreement.
After some initial disagreements, the Mellieħa council reached an agreement for PN’s Gabriel Micallef to occupy the mayor’s seat with independent councillor Matthew Borg Cuschieri as vice-mayor.
Things in Żebbuġ were more clear-cut, with the runaway winner of the election, independent councillor Steve Zammit Lupi appointed mayor, with PL councillor Joseph Agius as deputy.
Independent councillor Steve Zammit Lupi meanwhile was appointed mayor of Żebbuġ after an agreement was reached with Labour and Nationalist Party councillors elected in the locality.
Meanwhile, in the Gozitan town of Għarb, Għarb L-Ewwel councillor David Apap Agius was unanimously voted in as mayor, with PN’s Louis Apap as his deputy.