The Malta Independent 8 July 2026, Wednesday
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Local Council Elections: PL majority as PN registers losses

Malta Independent Monday, 12 March 2012, 00:00 Last update: about 13 years ago

As the PN lost a staggering 11,500 votes in Saturday’s local council elections and lost its majority in St Paul’s Bay, Safi and Qala, the Labour Party won the overall majority (about 55%), but only gained 150 votes. Alternattiva Demokratika elected two of its 10 candidates, and obtained about 4.5% of the vote overall.

The lowest turnout ever – 59.2% – was registered in this year’s elections. The 35 localities that held elections had last held elections in 2007 and 2008, and a collective 74% turnout had been registered in those two contests. The relatively high 86% turnout for the 2008 elections however, was inevitably affected by the fact that a general election was held on the same day.

The Mosta counting process was the most long drawn out since the PL had just 14 more first-preference votes than the Nationalist Party. In the end, the Nationalist Party won with a slim majority.

The Mosta local council was one of the main issues of controversy in the campaign leading to Saturday’s elections, the Nationalist Party having accused the PL-led council of failing to use a large amount of the funds at its disposal and allowing a number of areas in the locality to go to rack and ruin.

In fact, the PN’s campaign focused largely on this locality, whose Labour council has been plagued by infighting, and whose outgoing mayor and vice-mayor chose not to contest this time.

Labour, meanwhile, inevitably focused on the PN-led local council which has recently been dissolved due to its inability to function properly – Sliema. Its news media have recently been airing audio recordings it obtained of former mayor Joanna Gonzi – who did not contest this time round – and former councillor Julian Galea, the only PN councillor in the previous council who contested. He was the last to have been elected yesterday.

An election was only held in Sliema this year because the council was dissolved in February. The council had gone through a long series of trouble, starting with former mayor Nikki Dimech having been ousted in September 2010.

Councillor Sandra Camilleri had resigned from the PN and Mr Dimech had been replaced by Mrs Gonzi, but things only degenerated further over the last year-and-a-half and the PN lost its relative majority.

In this year’s election, the PN regained its majority with seven seats, but lost about 7% of the votes. Another three seats went to Labour councillors and one seat went to AD chairperson Michael Briguglio, who has previously served twice on the council.

Mrs Gonzi did not contest the election and the new mayor will be Anthony Chircop, who obtained 689 first-preference votes. The PL’s Marianne Aquilina was the first to be elected in Sliema with 767 first-count votes.

In Qormi, where a number of new councillors have been elected, new mayor Rosianne Cutajar obtained just 49 votes more than her predecessor, Jesmond Aquilina.

And Marsa and Senglea also have new mayors, with Christopher Spiteri having been elected to the post instead of Francis Debono in Marsa, and Justin John Camilleri replacing Joseph Casha in Senglea.

Particularly impressive was the performance of former Żurrieq mayor Ignatius Farrugia, who obtained more than 2,500 votes. The Nationalist Party lost about 13% of its votes in this locality.

Meanwhile, the PN lost its majority in St Paul’s Bay, which also had its own share of controversy, and also in the small localities of Qala and Safi, where the PL improved its performance by 11% and 8% of the votes respectively.

The new St Paul’s Bay mayor is Mario Salerno (611 first-count votes), who served as Kirkop mayor for the last 10 years. With a much lower turnout than the previous election, the Labour Party improved its performance in the locality by almost 14% of the votes. Former mayor Graziella Galea (PN) obtained the highest number of first-preference votes among all the candidates (1,173).

The Nationalist Party also lost a large number of votes in St Julian’s, but improved its performance in Floriana and Mosta, and the Gozitan localities of Munxar, Nadur, San Lawrenz and Żebbuġ in Gozo.

The Mosta counting process was the most long drawn out since the PL had just 14 more first-preference votes than the Nationalist Party. In the end, the Nationalist Party won with a slim majority.

Vittoriosa

John Boxall (PL)

Trevor Mizzi (PL)

Anthony Gellel (PN)

Alan Cassar (PL)

Lawrence Attard (PL)

Senglea

Charmaine Gerada (PN)

Justin John Camilleri (PL)

Joseph Casha (PL)

Christopher Cocker (PL)

Ramon Mangion (PL)

Qormi

Ralph Puli (PN)

Rosianne Cutajar (PL)

Jesmond Aquilina (PL)

Bjorn Azzopardi (PL)

Robert Reno Cremona (PN)

Jason Busuttil (PL)

Charles Farrugia (PL)

Caruana Cilia Jerome (PN)

Not yet announced

Not yet announced

Not yet announced

|ebbu[ (Malta)

Alfred Grixti (PL)

Thomas Agius (PL)

Roderick Aquilina (PN)

Duncan Bartolo (PL)

George Cortis (PN)

Grech Cain (PL)

Sammut Catherine (PL)

Tabone Robert Silvio (PL)

Said Philip (PN)

Si[[iewi

Karol Aquilina (PN)

Ryan Callus (PN)

Nicholas Cassar (PL)

Jesmond Tanti (PL)

Mark Anthony Vassallo (PN)

Mariette Borg (PL)

Mario Cachia (PN)

Attard

Stefan Cordina (PN)

Marco Spiteri (PN)

Gerald Borg (PN)

Remigio Bartolo (PN)

Raymond Azzopardi (PL)

John Bonnici (PL)

Alfred Zammit (PL)

Ralph Cassar (AD)

Herbert Messina Ferrante (PN)

Balzan

John Zammit Montebello (PN)

Desmond Zammit Marmara’ (PL)

Joseph Mary Galea (PN)

Stephen Gatt (PN)

Guido Borg (PN)

Bir\ebbu[a

Joseph Farrugia (PL)

Kevin Barun (PL)

Joseph Baldacchino (PL)

Carmelo Cachia (PL)

Stanley Zammit (PN)

Charles Muscat (PL)

Bernardette Pace (PL)

Dingli

Ian Borg (PL)

David Vassallo (PN)

Sandro Azzopardi (PL)

Venera Micallef (PL)

Paul Sammut (PL)

Floriana

Matthew Paris (PN)

Davina Sammut (PL)

Vincent Borg (PL)

Anthony Brincat (PN)

Nigel Holland (Floriana l-Ewwel)

G\ira

Roberto Cristiano (PL)

Carmelo Micallef (PN)

Victor Pio Rutter (PN)

Joseph Galea (PL)

Joseph Mary Muscat (PN)

Vincenza Attard (PL)

Joseph Camilleri (PL)

G]ajnsielem

Larry Buttigieg (PL)

Francis Cauchi (PN)

Franco Ciangura (PN)

Peter Caruana (PL)

Stephen Mercieca (PN)

G]arg]ur

Mario Gauci (PN)

Christopher Fenech (PL)

Mark Azzopardi (PN)

Alfred Muscat (PL)

Vincent Galea (PN)

}amrun

Paula Mifsud Bonnici (PN)

Vincent Bonello (PL)

Christian Sammut (PL)

Cedric Valletta (PN)

Carmen Borg (PL)

Mario Caruana (PL)

Gaetano Cuschieri (PN)

Iklin

Anthony Dalli (PN)

Carmelo Amante Attard (PL)

Martin Fenech (PL)

Yvonne Bartolo (PN)

Anthony Borg (PN)

Ker`em

Mario Azzopardi (PN)

Maria Antonia Borg (PN)

David Mizzi (PN)

Saverio Grech (PL)

Raymond Azzopardi (PL)

Kirkop

Carmel Calleja (PL)

Stephen Mizzi (PN)

Antoinette Cefai (PL)

Joseph Schembri (PL)

Joseph Carbone (PL)

Luqa

John Schembri (PL)

Victor Caruana (PN)

Joseph Scicluna (PL)

Christian Falzon (PN)

Joseph Camilleri (PL)

Lucia Massa (PL)

Christiana Sammut (PL)

Marsa

Christopher Spiteri (PL)

Francis Debono (PL)

Josef Azzopardi (PL)

Dominic Andrew Spencer (PL)

Anthony Buhagiar (PL)

Noel Scerri (PL)

Joseph Grima (PN)

Marsaxlokk

Edric Micallef (PL)

Angelo Micallef (PN)

Carmelo Bugeja (PL)

Stephen Caruana (PL)

Steven Grech (PL)

Mosta

Alexander Muscat (PL)

Shirley Farrugia (PN)

Joseph P. Demartino (PN)

Abraham Bezzina (PL)

Rachel Tua (PL)

Mario Sammut (PL)

Kirby Fenech (PL)

Cassar James (PN)

Cassar Keith (PN)

Not yet announced

Not yet announced

Munxar

Carmen Said (PL)

Joseph Sultana (PN)

Robert Mallia (PL)

Saviour Spiteri (PN)

Ryan Debrincat (PN)

Nadur

Josianne Cutajar (PL)

Eucharist Camilleri (PN)

Charles Frank Said (PN)

Mary Portelli (PN)

Maria Natoli (PL)

Paola

Roderick Spiteri (PL)

Dominic Grima (PL)

Raymond Attard (PL)

Steven Axisa (PL)

Rita Delezio (PN)

Tyrone Muscat (PN)

Bernard Sean Lynch (PL)

Qala

Paul Buttigieg (PN)

Clint Camilleri (PL)

Paul Buttigieg (PL)

Jesmond Borg (PL)

Victor Grech (PN)

Safi

Peter Paul Busuttil (PN)

Francis Callus (PL)

Johan Mula (PL)

Carlo Stivala (PL)

Publio Abdilla (PN)

St Julian’s

Peter Bonello (PN)

Charles Camenzuli (PN)

Norman Vella (PL)

John Agius (PL)

Irene Borg (PL)

Alexander Grech (PL)

Rita Dimech Portelli (PN)

Anthony Grech (PN)

Richard Scicluna (PN)

San Lawrenz

Anthony Formosa (PN)

Anthony Cassar (PN)

Giovanni Mercieca (PL)

Michelina Mercieca (PN)

Rose Vella (PL)

St Paul’s Bay

Graziella Galea (PN)

Mario Salerno (PL)

Alexander Bezzina (PL)

John Bray (PN)

Raymond Tabone (PL)

Mandy Buhagiar (PL)

Abela Peter (PN)

Camilleri Jason (PL)

Not yet announced

Not yet announced

Not yet announced

Not yet announced

Not yet announced

Santa Lu`ija

Frederick Cutajar (PL)

Joseph Balzan (PL)

Terrence Ellul (PL)

Joseph M. Bonello (PL)

Caroline Galea (PN)

Sliema

Marianne Aquilina (PL)

Anthony Chircop (PN)

Silvio Zammit (PN)

Vivienne Mary Galea Pace (PN)

Paul Radmilli (PN)

Christian Busietta (PN)

Michael Briguglio (AD)

Pierre Paul Portelli (PN)

Mary Camilleri (PL)

Nicolai Gauci (PL)

Julian Galea (PN)

Swieqi

Noel Muscat (PN)

Mario Grazio Fava (PL)

Justin Fenech (PN)

Rene’ Rossignaud (PN)

Alexander Chetcuti (PL)

Mary Anne Abela (PN)

Not yet announced

Not yet announced

Not yet announced

Xag]ra

Joseph Cordina (PL)

Aaron Agius (PL)

Christian Joseph Zammit (PL)

Victor Zammit (PL)

Joseph Attard (PN)

Kevin Cutajar (PN)

Maria Grima (PN)

|ebbu[ (Gozo)

Nicky Saliba (PN)

Victor Refalo (PL)

Mario Cassar (PN)

Joseph Camilleri (PL)

Maria Saliba (PN)

|urrieq

Ignatius Farrugia (PL)

Rita Grima (PL)

Rita Bellizzi (PL)

Joseph D’Amato (PL)

Claudio Zammit (PL)

Dino Bonnici (PN)

Vincent-Anthony Marmara (PL)

Raymond Grixti (PL)

Pierre Farrugia (PN)

Saverina Farrugia (PL)

Farrugia Kevin Sam (PN)

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