A councillor was once again unable to attend proceedings as the Floriana local council failed to pick a mayor – in its fourth attempt to do so – yesterday afternoon.

Nationalist Party councillor Tony Brincat had also missed the previous Monday’s meeting, which lasted just a couple of minutes and was inconclusive, due to health reasons. As they had done on that occasion, fellow councillors dedicated the customary opening prayer to him and wished him a speedy recovery.

In a new development, however, fellow Nationalist Party councillor Matthew Paris endorsed independent councillor Nigel Holland – the locality’s last mayor – this time round.

Mr Paris remarked that the council could not carry out certain tasks unless a mayor was chosen, and that the outcome of last month’s vote – which saw two PN candidates and two Labour ones elected along with Mr Holland – showed that the town’s residents did not pick one party’s proposals over the other, and wanted both implemented.

Labour councillor Vince Borg, who as the most senior councillor is chairing council meetings in the absence of a mayor, subsequently nominated his party’s other councillor Davina Sammut Hili to the post.

But a stalemate once again occurred as the Labour councillors voted for Ms Sammut Hili and against Mr Holland, while the two other councillors did the opposite.

In line with a directive issued by the Department of Local Government, the vote was held for a total of six times before the meeting was adjourned for next Monday. The unusual repetition of the vote amused the councillors and the audience present, but the outcome remained the same throughout.

The same procedure is set to occur next Monday – unless a nominee obtains a majority of votes. Whether next Monday’s meeting finally leads to the appointment of a mayor appears to depend largely on whether Mr Brincat will be able to attend: If he backs Mr Holland along with Mr Paris, Mr Holland will once again become mayor.

If next Monday’s meeting is inconclusive, however, no further vote will be held for the time being. According to the DLG directive, the councillor obtaining the largest number of first-count votes within the party which obtained the most votes would be appointed as interim mayor for a three-month period.

Ms Sammut Hili would be appointed mayor in this situation – unless she refuses the post – as the Labour Party received the most votes even though Mr Paris was first to be elected.

A similar situation had occurred in Floriana in 2004, when Labour councillor John Mary Brincat ended up serving as interim mayor for six months.