Labour Party Mellieha councillors want the independent candidate who was elected to the council to become mayor for five years, while the PL and Nationalist Party should share the post of the deputy mayor.

In the last local council elections, the Mellieha locality was deadlocked with the PL and PN each electing four councillors, while Matthew Borg Cuschieri was elected as an independent councillor. He obtained 546 votes, one-third of the 1,525 first preferences obtained by the PN’s Gabriel Micallef, who obtained the highest number of votes overall.

In total, the PN received 3,031 votes, equivalent to 49.06%, and the PL receiving 2,559, equivalent to 41.42%.

The councillors elected on behalf of the Labour Party, in a statement issued by the PL Mellieha club Saturday, said there is no clear majority of seats and, furthermore, no party got the absolute majority of votes.

The councillors - John Buttigieg, Rebecca Bartolo Cutajar, Kurt Buttigieg and Jude Cauchi - said that the Local Councils Act Chap. 363 stipulates that when there is such an occurrence, the positions of mayor and deputy mayor are not based on the number of votes obtained by a councillor. Instead, it is the elected councillors who decide on the positions.

The Labour councillors, in their discussions with the independent candidate, Matthew Borg Cuschieri, proposed that he occupy the role of mayor for five years whilst the role of deputy mayor for is split, with a Labour and PN councillor each having the same time in the position.

The councillors said that they believe that this proposal reflects and wholly respects the results obtained in the local council elections of 2024 whilst fully respecting the law. They said that it is in favour for a proposal that will lead to unity within the local council and, above all, inclusivity which is highly desired by the residents of Mellieħa and Manikata.

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