Local Councillors from the Labour Party are attempting to deprive the residents of Għargħur of the choice they made at the ballot box, in order to seize control of the Council for themselves, the Nationalist Party has said.

The PN said that this is being done with the blessing of Prime Minister Robert Abela and the leadership of the Labour Party.

During a press conference addressed by the Secretary General of the PN Charles Bonello, and the Shadow Minister for Public Administration Claudette Buttigieg, the PN condemned the actions of Labour Party Councillors Mariah Meli and Christopher Fenech, together with Councillor Francesca Attard "who declared herself Independent after being elected under the PN, for submitting a motion of no confidence in the Mayor of Għargħur, Helen Gauci."

"In the same motion, Labour Councillor Mariah Meli, who received half the votes of the current Mayor, is proposing herself as the new Mayor."

"In the most recent Local Council election in Għargħur, the current Mayor Helen Gauci, alone received 869 votes, or 43% of the total, while the three councillors attempting this anti-democratic manoeuvre collectively garnered 783 votes - fewer than the Mayor herself," the PN said,

In the June election, the PN won 62.3% of the vote in Ħal Għargħur, while the Labour Party obtained 37.7%, it said.

The spokespersons for the PN stated that this move has provoked strong anger among residents of Għargħur, who placed their trust in Helen Gauci last June, "to the extent that a substantial number of residents are understood to be collecting signatures in support of the current Mayor."

Through its spokespeople, the PN said that this is "nothing short of an attack on democracy that harks back to the 1980s, and that the PN will not allow anyone to bully either the residents or their representatives."

The Mayor of Għargħur, Helen Gauci, was present for the press conference, alongside PN Councillor Marilena Hassan and Emvin Bartolo, Director of Local Councillors for the PN. The press conference was held in the main square of Għargħur.

The motion of no confidence in the PN Mayor of Għarghur was tabled due to a lack of good governance and in the interest of local residents

The decision of the Labour and Independent Councillors of Għargħur to table a motion of no confidence in the leadership of Mayor Helen Gauci was taken in the best interest of the residents who deserve that the locality be managed in full transparency as required by good governance, the Labour Party said Thursday.

The motion was in fact tabled following several requests to provide information on "suspicious and potentially irregular expenditures" being made by the Nationalist Mayor. Despite repeated requests, Labour and independent councillors were never satisfied with this and were kept in the dark and at the same time asked to approve payments month after month, the PL said.

There are so many shortcomings in financial management that although the Auditor General drew attention to several shortcomings, they remained unaddressed. Moreover, the 2024 financial report has not yet been finalised or submitted.

This is not an attack on democracy, as the Nationalist Party is trying to claim. The three councillors who are supporting the motion acted in accordance with the Local Government Act and the motion needs to be approved by the Council before it enters into force.

Democracy calls for obtaining numbers, but it also requires maintaining those numbers - something the Nationalist Party failed to do in the case of Għarghur when a few weeks ago it lost the majority and ended up with 2 Councillors representing PN, 2 Councillors on behalf of the Labour Party and an Independent Councillor.

The Labour and independent councillors who put forward the vote of no confidence in the Mayor would have failed the residents if they had not done so and are observing the oath they took in their appointment to act without fear or favour. They are doing this as a personal sacrifice for them, the PL said.