AD welcomes government’s decision on local council elections

Alternattiva Demokratika welcomed government’s compromise on the local council elections.

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici and parliamentary secretary Stefan Buontempo today announced that a compromise solution had been found and that the 2015 local council elections will be held. Those scheduled for 2017 will be held with the EP elections in 2019.

“It goes to the government's credit, in particular Minister Owen Bonnici, to have listened to the voice of reason presented by Alternattiva Demokratika and other bodies,” Cassola said.

“It is good that it did not persist in its original position, which would have meant the cancelling of the 2015 local council elections and going against the basic tenets of democracy.”

AD’s deputy chairperson Carmel Cacopardo said that in its meeting with Bonnici, AD proposed that the 2015 elections should be held on the same day as the spring hunting referendum, with a mandate till May 2019, whilst the 2017 Local council elections should be postponed to May 2019. 

“Our proposal was that in May 2019 all local council elections be held in conjunction with European Elections, with a five-year mandate,” Cacopardo said.