PN Stages Protest Outside Għargħur Council After Losing Control To Labour
A large blue-and-red installation was set up outside the Għargħur local council on Monday morning as the Nationalist Party continued to protest the Labour Party’s recent takeover of the council. The installation, which features two towering bars with the words “SRAQTUNA” (“you robbed us”) printed at the base, was placed directly in front of the council building. The blue bar, marked 62.3%, represents the share of the vote won by the PN in the last local council election, while the red bar, marked 37.7%, represents the Labour Party’s share.
The visual protest is the latest move in a political standoff that has gripped the small locality, following a dramatic vote of no confidence in PN mayor Helen Gauci. The motion, passed last week with the backing of Labour councillors and independent councillor Francesca Attard—who was elected on a PN ticket but later broke ranks—has shifted control of the council to the Labour Party for the first time in its history. Labour councillor Mariah Meli is expected to be appointed mayor.
The council meeting during which the vote was taken was reportedly stormy, with shouting and accusations exchanged between councillors. Gauci, left with the support of only two councillors, was forced to resign her position.
The Nationalist Party has condemned the outcome as undemocratic, accusing the Labour Party of orchestrating a political coup and disregarding the will of the electorate. PN secretary-general Alex Perici Calascione has called on Prime Minister Robert Abela to dissolve the council and call fresh elections, insisting that the outcome of the 2023 vote—where the PN secured a clear majority—must be respected.
“This is not just about Għargħur. This is about respecting democracy,” Perici Calascione said. “What happened in Għargħur is a theft of the people’s choice.”
A protest in solidarity with the ousted mayor and PN councillors is expected to be held outside the party’s Għargħur club tomorrow.
The Labour Party has defended its actions, with Local Government Minister Owen Bonnici stating that the process followed was fully in line with legal provisions. Bonnici noted that the law allows for a new majority to be formed within a local council if a councillor changes affiliation, and that no electoral rules had been breached.
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