View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)

Borg Cuschieri said that while the PL offered to support him as mayor for the full five-year tenure, he felt he needed to take the vote share into consideration for the sake of democracy.

He originally proposed to the PN that the mayorship be split in two – with a PN councillor taking the mantle for the first two and a half years, before passing it to him for the remainder of the term. However, the PN rejected the offer.

After further negotiations, they agreed that PN councillor Gabriel Micallef    – whose 1,525 votes made him the most popular candidate – should be mayor for the full five years, with Borg Cuschieri serving as vice-mayor.

“These decisions weren’t easy at all but I always kept the people in mind so as to proceed with a fair solution,” Borg Cuschieri said.

“I will remain completely independent and this deal doesn’t mean I am forming a coalition with PN. I will remain faithful to all those who voted for me.”

Micallef told Lovin Malta that discussions with Borg Cuschieri were free and open, that the interests of Mellieħa residents were always kept front and centre, and that both sides ended up compromising a bit.

“He’s a very good person,” he said of Borg Cuschieri. “He has his own ideas and he must learn certain procedures, just as I am always learning from experience, and I feel I can work with him.”

“The people voted for us and elected us. While there will always be different ideas on the table, we need to work together and I believe we can. We are both young and energetic, and we agree on many issues – such as the environment, social issues, and the common good.”