Impasse in Birkirkara mayorship persists as independent councillor refuses PL offer

The impasse in the mayorship of the Birkirkara local council is persisting, as independent councillor Kaylocke Buhagiar has refused an offer from the Labour Party - meaning that an agreement is still yet to be reached.The Labour Party said in a state

By: independent.com.mt

Oct 07 2024
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Impasse in Birkirkara mayorshi

The Labour Party said in a statement that Buhagiar had been offered the position of mayor for two years and a half, with the remaining two and a half years then having a mayor from the Labour Party and Buhagiar serving as the Deputy Mayor.

The proposal was made in a meeting between the PL's councillors, Buhagiar, and PL Deputy Leader Alex Agius Saliba.

The party said that the proposal was refused because Buhagiar wanted to serve as mayor for the full five-year term - something which the PL said it could not accept "because it would not reflect the electoral result" in the locality.

"The Labour councillors in Birkirkara are going to ensure that the people's verdict will always be respected and are committed to work for the best interests of the locality," the party said.

Currently, the locality is led by PN councillor Desirei Grech on a temporary term of three months - an appointment which was made because for three successive meetings the 13 councillors failed to reach an agreement on who was to serve as mayor.

The PN and PL have six councillors each in the locality, with independent councillor Kaylocke Buhagiar - who was a PL councillor in the previous term of office - being the kingpin.

The PN won a relative majority in the locality, which is why Grech was subsequently installed as mayor when an agreement was not reached.