Labour mayor loses support of fellow councillors in PN motion of censure

The motion was approved with three votes in favour from the PN councillors, two votes against from the PL councillors - including the mayor himself - and two abstentions, from the Labour deputy mayor and another PL councillor.

According to In-Nazzjon, the motion against the mayor was presented after earlier this month, a group of persons that included relatives of the Labour mayor, “entered a local council meeting and started insulting PN councillors Matthew Agius, Carmelo Grima and Charles Selvaggi and expressed their support to the mayor."

In-Nazzjon claimed Grima “knew that these people were going to attend" and that his behaviour had “surprised even the Labour councillors present who were scandalised with what had happened and the mayor’s failure to scold them”.

This led the PN councillors at Msida to present a motion of censure against Grima, which passed after two Msida Labour councillors, deputy mayor Margaret Baldacchino Cefai and Emmanuel Brincat, abstained.

In-Nazzjon claimed that in the past few days, an urgent evening meeting was held at the National Labour Centre where Grima, “who has the support of Labour leader Joseph Muscat" insisted that the PL take action against the Labour councillors who did not support him.