The Floriana council today drew by lots the names of 79 vendors who will be setting up shop on the Granaries during the Labour Party victory celebrations tomorrow.

The names were drawn from a list of 400 applications the council received, mayor Nigel Holland said as he called for stricter rules and a civilised system on the issuing of temporary permits for vending stalls.

Addressing a news conference, he said that some people had been camped outside the council offices since Thursday last week to ensure they were among the first applicants.

But the most hurtful thing was that some vendors hired immigrants to stand in line for them day and night in the rain and the wind.

Some hired up to 10 immigrants to increase their chances in the ballot.

“This is colossal abuse and the system has to be overhauled,” Mr Holland said.

He said that on February 15, a memo was sent from the Home Affairs Ministry to local councils insisting that applicants did not need a trading licence.

Since then, vendors had started camping outside the council offices from days before activities were organised to make sure they were among the first to apply.