PN to hold rally in Għargħur over 'stolen' local council
Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech called on residents and supporters to show solidarity with former mayor, Helen Gauci, PN councillors, and the locality’s residents on Wednesday
18 May 2025, 11:41am
Matthew Farrugia
Matthew Farrugia
2 min read
PN leader Bernard Grech was interviewed on Net TV(Photo: PN)
Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has called on the public to join a protest outside the PN club in Għargħur on Wednesday, in response to what he claims was an undemocratic take-over of the local council by the Labour Party.
During a Sunday interview on his party’s TV station, the Nationalist Party leader called on residents and supporters to show solidarity with former mayor, Helen Gauci, PN councillors, and the locality’s residents.
This week, Gauci lost a no-confidence vote as two Labour councillors and a Nationalist-turned-independent member of the same council voted in favour of a motion of no confidence against her.
The councillors tabled the motion because of suspicious expenditure under the mayor’s administration. This followed the departure of local councillor Francesca Attard from the PN, who is currently serving as an independent member of the council.
Grech accused the Labour Party of disregarding the village’s voters’ will and claimed the takeover undermined democracy.
He argued that if Prime Minister Robert Abela truly respected democratic values, he would call for a new election in Għargħur. Grech suggested that Labour’s reluctance to do so stemmed from fear of losing.
On Sunday, Grech also spoke briefly on euthanasia, but only stated that the party is discussing the recent consultation document internally. “You know what we stand for. We are the party that is always in favour of life.”
READ ALSO | PN parliamentary group on euthanasia: Insiders describe cordial meeting but mixed views
He added that the party’s position will be made public in the coming days.
Grech also spoke about the rising cost of living, saying many citizens were struggling to afford basic goods.
To ease these burdens, Grech reiterated PN proposals such as removing tax on cost-of-living adjustments, offering tax credits to businesses to help control prices, supporting importers facing high shipping costs, and exempting the first €10,000 earned from part-time or overtime work from tax.
He said these measures would help both workers and employers manage inflation more effectively.
Matthew Farrugia is a staff reporter at MaltaToday
