Prime Minister meets Steve Zammit Lupi ahead of Ħaż-Żebbuġ council mayorship vote

Prime Minister Robert Abela and representatives from the Labour Party met with Ħaż-Żebbuġ’s independent councillor Steve Zammit Lupi to discuss the locality's mayorship, MaltaToday is informed.

Sources close to the government told this newspaper the discussions were cordial. The locality’s mayorship hangs in the balance after the 8 June local election left the locality with a hung council.

Zammit Lupi swept to an impressive victory, getting 2,342 first count votes. His mother Lilibeth Zammit Lupi, also an independent, was also elected on the second count.

With two independents elected, the Nationalist Party electing three councillors and Labour electing four, no absolute majority was achieved in Ħaż-Żebbuġ. This means that the mayor and deputy mayor will have to be selected by the councillors, making the independents kingmakers.

Sources said Zammit Lupi also met with Nationalist Party representatives to discuss the locality's mayorship before the council votes on the post.

MaltaToday understands that a cross-party agreement over Zammit Lupi's election as mayor is at an advanced stage. The independent councillor was first elected on the council in 2019.

Ħaż-Żebbuġ was one of five localities where no majority was achieved in the council, with the others being: Birkirkara, Floriana, Mellieha and Għarb in Gozo.

Birkirkara, Floriana and Mellieha saw council seats being shared equally among the major parties, with a single independent candidate holding the balance of power in each of the three localities.

Għarb on the otherhand saw two Labour councillors elected, one Nationalist and two from independent party Għarb L-Ewwel. In Għarb’s case, Nationalist councillor Louis Apap is kingmaker.