National Book Council to hold elections for top post

The National Book Council has convened the National Writers’ Congress as part of its legal mandate to consult with authors on the policies of the National Book Council.

Last month, in a surprise move, the National Book Council’s government-appointed chief executive Mark Camilleri, had announced he would organise an election for writers and publishers to appoint the next head of the council.

Camilleri had said he would contest the three-year position, having served since 2013 at the helm of the Council. “If I am reconfirmed at the headship of the NBC, the government will have a greater obligation to support the Council by implementing its legal mandate through the National Congress of Writers,” Camilleri said.

A motion presented by Camilleri to hold elections for the members of the National Book Council and the position of the Executive Chairman was approved today by 115 out of 153 registered authors in attendance. Two voted against and five chose to abstain from voting on the motion. 

This is the second time that the National Writers’ Congress has been held with the first one convened in September 2019. During the first Congress authors voted in favour of the National Book Council's proposals for the Copyright Reform, and for the renewal of the subsidiary legislation establishing the National Book Council into an act of parliament. The vote taken today on the proposal for the election of the members of National Book Council will complement the proposed legal amendments which the National Book Council will bring to the Government with regards to the National Book Council Act. 

The National Writers’ Congress also discussed the National Book Prize during which authors proposed potential changes to the rules and regulations, the policy remit of the Council, and the current state of the book industry.

In a statement on Saturday, the National Book Council said it “took pride in advancing the policy decisions and aspirations of book industry stakeholders. Besides serving the book industry with essential material support, the National Book Council also assumes the role, as mandated by law, to propose the authors' and publishers' policy decisions to the Government. 

“The success of the Congress and the proposed motion to hold elections for the National Book Council members will ensure the lasting autonomy of the National Book Council and would also consolidate its role to provide public support to the book industry,” it said.