The government's attempt to dissolve Sliema council is a move for an election to be held so that the PN could possibly regain its majority, the PL's spokesman on local councils, Stefan Buontempo said today.

However, the government denied this allegation and said that should the council be dissolved, this would be in the interest of the community.

The council was yesterday given a 10-day warning to solve its long-standing problems or face dissolution.

The Parliamentary Secretariat for Local Councils said in a statement that this would not be the first time that councils were dissolved for different reasons.

These included those of Paola, Sannat and Mtarfa, three examples where the claim that this was done to give a party or other political advantage could surely not be used.

Dr Buontempo said in his statement that should an election be held in Sliema this year, the new  council would only have one year in office, as, according to law, another election would have to be held in the following year, when it would be due.

Contrary to the PN, he said, the PL did not play games with the democratic system and even when the PN lost the majority it allowed a Nationalist mayor to continue to head the council.