Local Councils’ Association unaware of council elections postponement

The Local Councils’ Association has not been informed of any plans by the government to postpone the 2015 and 2017 local council elections to 2019.

News of the government’s proposal to postpone the elections was revealed by Opposition leader Simon Busuttil in parliament.  The news has not been denied by the government.

Sources said the government has prepared amendments to the Local Councils Act to postpone the elections.

Contacted by MaltaToday, LCA President Marc Sant said the association was not informed of any changes to when the elections will be held.

“The association has not yet been informed of any changes to the electoral dates,” Sant said.

He added that the LCA’s official position on the matter will be made public after the association meets in the coming days.

According to the PN leader, the Opposition was this week informed that the Local Councils Act will be emended.

“No details were forthcoming as to how this will be emended but everything points towards the cancellation of all council elections for the coming five years,” Busuttil told parliament.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has more than once expressed his position in favour of local council elections to be held with European Parliament elections, “to save time and money”.

Critics say the postponement is intended to dead-leg an abrogative referendum against spring hunting by not tying the plebiscite with local council elections, which tend to have high turnouts.

The PN’s councillors’ college (KKLPM) and youth organ MZPN said the plan would break Labour’s promise to introduce voting rights to 16-year-old voters in local council elections.

“We condemn this deceit on the part of the government that wants to double councils’ legislatures despite having been elected for much less years, while denying the vote to many new youth voters just months after giving them this right.”

The PN organs said the move would weaken democracy, and appealed to the government to push aside its partisan interests and consult with all parties involved.

The Local Councils Act was amended in 2009 to lay down the schedule of elections for the local councils. Local councils are elected on a three-year term.

The 68 local councils were divided into groups and next elections were to be held in 2015, 2017 and 2019.

Elections in 2015 and 2019 were to be held for half of the local councils elected in 2012.