Nationalist Sliema councillor Cyrus Engerer was yesterday appointed deputy mayor during the first council meeting since Joanna Gonzi was appointed mayor after her predecessor, Nikki Dimech, was voted out by PN candidates.

A motion signed by the majority of councillors to prevent Mr Engerer from being appointed was not allowed to be discussed after it was rejected by the Director of Local Councils.

The motion proposed elderly PN councillor Edward Cuschieri instead of Mr Engerer, who, it was alleged was too immature and inexperienced for the role. Mr Cuschieri had signed the motion together with three Labourite councillors, Mr Dimech and Sandra Camilleri who recently resigned from the PN.

However, Mr Cuschieri said he would withdraw his support for the motion after he was asked to do so by the PN. According to law, Mr Engerer was next in line for the role because he had won the third largest number of votes in the local council election, after Mr Dimech and Dr Gonzi.

The motion was rejected for discussion on the grounds that Mr Engerer was by law entitled to the role and a motion of no confidence could only be brought forward after his appointment.

Meanwhile, the council meeting, which Mr Dimech did not attend, went on relatively smoothly and various decisions were taken with regard to embellishment projects, traffic and pollution management, and youth exchanges.

As things stand, the Sliema council is now made up of six PN councillors, three Labour councillors and the two former PN councillors who have decided to stay on as independents.