The motion aimed at preventing Sliema councillor Cyrus Engerer from becoming deputy mayor, signed by a majority of Sliema councillors, has hit a wall.

“The motion was acknowledged... but it cannot be tabled for discussion because the law says Mr Engerer must become deputy mayor since he is next in line in terms of votes,” sources close to the council said, citing a letter received from the director of local councils.

Mr Engerer is expected to be officially appointed as deputy mayor tomorrow during a council meeting.

The post was vacated when Joanna Gonzi became mayor, replacing Nikki Dimech who was ousted by the Nationalist Party councillors after he was charged with bribery.

Six of the 11 councillors had signed the motion last week, proposing to appoint PN councillor Edward Cuschieri, 82, instead of Mr Engerer, 29, who they claimed lacked experience and maturity.

Mr Cuschieri later accepted the PN’s request to retract his signature from the motion.

The motion was originally signed by the three Labour councillors, Mr Cuschieri, Mr Dimech and councillor Sandra Camilleri, who recently resigned from the PN after claiming she was bullied into backing the motion against Mr Dimech.

“They should have waited for Mr Engerer to be appointed and then put forward a motion of no-confidence. As the law stands, they cannot simply propose someone else and say they have no faith in Mr Engerer before he is appointed,” government sources told The Times.

This may bring to an end months of in-fighting within the council which has been at a standstill as internal investigations took place. Meanwhile, Mr Dimech will seek to prove his innocence in court, after he pleaded “definitely” not guilty to charges of soliciting a bribe and reviling a public officer.

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