The Electoral Commission has published the writ announcing elections in 34 localities on March 10, including an extra election in Sliema where the council is expected to be officially dissolved on Thursday.
The list published in the Government Gazette yesterday does not include Sliema, which is expected to be dissolved through an official declaration by President George Abela.
According to the Local Councils Act, once a council is dissolved the Electoral Commission has to hold a fresh election within 30 days. With this stipulated time frame, the council cannot be dissolved before or after Thursday if the election will be held on March 10, along with other localities.
Sliema’s council has had a turbulent couple of years, with former mayor Nikki Dimech being charged with corruption and a number of councillors subjected to police investigations and criminal action in court for issues related and/or unrelated to the council’s operations.
The council election in Sliema was last held in 2009 and the locality was set for another election in 2013. However, with the problems it faced since 2010 and constant bickering between councillors, it became impossible for the council to function, so the government decided to start the process to dissolve it and call a fresh election.
The council elected on March 10 will operate for a year before the locality will again go to the polls to elect a council for the full four-year term.
This is the first round of local elections since the law was changed last year providing for elections in half of the 68 localities every two years.
Local elections were previously held every year for a third of localities.
Through this change, as from the 2013 election, councillors will no longer serve a three-year term but will remain in office for four. Those localities voting this year will be elected for a three-year term and residents will vote for a new council in 2015.
Moreover, amendments to the law provided for the rearrangement of council seats according to population changes. With Sliema included, the number of councillors who have to be elected is 238, 10 more than the total when the elections were last held in these localities.
Due to population changes, six localities will see their council increase by two seats and one locality will lose two councillors.
The Xagħra council will increase to seven councillors from five. The Attard, St Julians and Swieqi councils will have nine councillors rather than seven. The Żurrieq council will increase to 11 councillors from nine while the St Paul’s Bay council will increase to 13 members, reaching the same number of councillors elected in Birkirkara, the largest locality in Malta.
On the other hand, the Ħamrun council will see the number of councillors drop to seven from nine.
The police started distributing voting documents yesterday – 192,257 will be eligible to vote.
Elections will be held in the following localities: Attard, Balzan, Birżebbuġa, Dingli, Floriana, Gżira, Għajnsielem, Għargħur, Ħamrun, Iklin, Kerċem, Kirkop, Luqa, Marsa, Marsaxlokk, Mosta, Munxar, Nadur, Paola, Qala, Qormi, Safi, St Julians, St Paul’s Bay, San Lawrenz, Santa Luċija, Senglea, Siġġiewi, Swieqi, Vittoriosa, Xagħra, Żebbuġ, Żebbuġ (Gozo) and Żurrieq.
The Electoral Commission announced yesterday it would accept nominations from council candidates on February 8, 9 and 11 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.