Edward Zammit Lewis offers to mediate in Birkirkara mayorship stalemate

The Birkirkara council remains locked in stalemate over the appointment of mayor with Labour MP Edward Zammit Lewis now offering to mediate between the three warring parties.

Elected from the Birkirkara district, Zammit Lewis took to Facebook on Friday to publicly offer his help to mediate between independent Kaylocke Buhagiar, Yana Debono Grech (PL) and Desirei Grech (PN).

No political party has a majority of seats to secure the mayorship in the 13-member council and the position has been occupied temporarily for three-month stints by Grech on the basis that she is the most popular councillor from the party that obtained most votes.

With no sign of the stalemate resolving itself, Zammit Lewis has now offered to mediate after being approached by residents concerned with the situation.

“I have huge respect for Kaylocke Buhagiar, Yana D G [Debono Grech] and Desirei Grech, as I have for the previous mayor Joanne D G [Debono Grech]. They all have Birkirkara at heart… but Birkirkara and its residents deserve a council that works and is stable. Given that months have passed and nobody has solved this evident stalemate, I am publicly offering my assistance to whoever is of good will so this matter is resolved,” Zammit Lewis wrote.

In June’s local election, the Nationalist Party obtained a relative majority of votes (47.5%), winning six seats. The Labour Party obtained 41.7% of votes and six seats, while independent candidate Kaylocke Buhagiar was elected, having obtained 7.9% of the vote.

Desirei Grech (PN) obtained 1,802 first-count votes, making her the most popular PN candidate, while Yana Borg Debono Grech obtained 1,805 votes, making her the most popular PL candidate. Buhagiar scored 999 first-count votes.

The law states that the mayor is the highest scoring candidate of the party with a majority of seats and if no party has a majority, the mayor is chosen by the councillors themselves. Several votes have been taken to no avail.

With the two major parties locked at six seats each, Buhagiar is the kingmaker, however, the independent candidate also wants the mayorship and has refused to budge.

In an attempt to broker a deal last October, the PL offered Buhagiar the position of mayor for two-and-a-half years with the remaining two-and-a-half years being occupied by a Labour mayor and Buhagiar as deputy mayor. The deal was proposed by PL deputy leader Alex Agius Saliba.

However, the independent councillor rejected the deal, insisting he wanted to be mayor for the full five years.

The PN is insisting that being the most popular party, it should hold the mayorship.

Meanwhile, Desirei Grech's last re-appointment as temporary mayor was in October and the term expires again this month.

Buhagiar had been elected on the PL ticket in 2019 but broke ranks last year and announced an independent candidature.