Age Knows No Bounds: Fgura 15-Year-Old Becomes Malta’s Youngest Ever Local Council Candidate
At 15 years old, Izak Catania De Giovanni is preparing for two major life events in the coming months – his O Levels and the Fgura local council election.
The PL candidate, who will turn 16 this weekend, told Lovin Malta that he has been informed he is the youngest person to ever contest a local council election.
As the son of PL MP Katya De Giovanni and the grandson of former Fgura mayor Anthony De Giovanni, politics runs deep in the young man’s family and he has now decided to take the plunge himself.
“I often visited Parliament with my mother and spoke to [parliamentary secretary for local government] Alison Zerafa Civelli, who encouraged me to contest the election,” he said.
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He said his priorities as councillor will include helping people with their needs, upgrading the Fgura playground, and tackling the traffic problem with the possible help of an AI-powered ‘digital traffic brain’ spearheaded by university professor Alexiei Dingli.
Asked how he plans to cope with studying for his O Levels and campaigning for the local council election simultaneously, Catania De Giovanni said it is “important to strike a balance” but that he will have a lot of help with his campaign.
He said that while many people have supported his decision, some – including a close relative of his – have warned him that he is too young to contest an election.
“I want to prove them otherwise,” he said. “Most councillors are older than 30 and I think it is positive for a young voice to provide a different point of view,” he argued.
Thanks to a new law, Catania De Giovanni will become mayor if he wins the highest number of votes in Fgura, and potentially become the youngest mayor in Malta’s history.
However, he said isn’t put off by the challenge.
At 18 years old, Eve Borg Bonello became the youngest MP in Malta's history
“If Eve Borg Bonello managed to become the youngest ever MP (at 18 years old) in Malta’s history, then I can succeed too. I have often spoken to Eve in Parliament and I strongly believe I can succeed, even as mayor, with the right training and mentoring.”
Asked to send a message to people who might think he is too young for a local council job, Catania De Giovanni warned such comments are the result of “ageism”.
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“I will prove them otherwise,” he said. “I am so blessed that I have a vote at 16, something the PL government introduced. It’s an incredible achievement for our party.”
Would you like to see Izak Catania De Giovanni get elected to the Fgura local council?
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