Updated 1300
Local Council vote counting starts today
Vote counting for the Local Council Election begins today at 4pm at the Naxxar Counting Hall. The process for counting votes from all localities in Malta and Gozo will continue through Friday. The Nationalist Party is hoping to build on its success in the European Parliament election, where it reduced Labour’s supermajority to around 8,454 votes. Party insiders from both sides expect Labour to lose several localities it won in 2019, but this will only be confirmed once the votes are counted. The Electoral Commission announced on Sunday that the turnout for the local council elections was 59.47% of registered voters. (Maltatoday)
Malta with longest waiting time for resolution of administrative cases
A report issued by the European Commission shows that, among the 25 countries surveyed in 2022, Malta had the longest estimated time to resolve administrative cases at first instance, taking 2.8 years. Portugal was the second slowest, with administrative cases taking 1.7 years. The fastest courts for first-instance judgments in such cases were in Lithuania, where an administrative case took just over six months on average. Administrative law involves instances when individuals and businesses take the government to court, such as for tax assessments, land concessions, and table and chair concessions. However, not all news is bad for Malta. In 2021, the average time before a judgment was 3.7 years. (Times of Malta)
Cassola pushes for green-left coalition
Following independents and smaller parties capturing over 12% of the vote in the European Parliament elections, former candidate Arnold Cassola is intensifying his call for a new cross-party “centre-green-left” coalition. In an opinion piece in The Times of Malta, Cassola described his own close call at winning a seat, with 8.1% of the vote, as “the birth of a movement for hope” that must now be expanded. He argued that “the time is now ripe” for progressives, greens, and centrists to unite into a coalition that would allow MPs to vote freely on issues of conscience. Cassola’s push for a coalition comes after the Nationalist Party once again refused to form any alliances with moderate independent candidates like himself, former Labour mayor Conrad Borg Manche, and ADPD – The Green Party.
Morning Briefing
Labour Deputy Leader resigns
Labour deputy leader Daniel Micallef has resigned. Micallef stated that he made this decision two years ago, and Labour leader Robert Abela was aware that he would step down after the MEP election, as he revealed in a Facebook post. “I’m not saying I made the decision two years ago to avoid responsibility for Saturday’s result,” he said, emphasizing that voters sent a message that must be understood and acted upon. He also suggested that his decision was primarily influenced by his personal life circumstances. (Times of Malta)
Airport tops 800,000 passengers in one month
For the first time in its history, Malta International Airport recorded over 800,000 passenger movements in May, The airport said that May’s total of 858,402 passenger movements surpassed the previous record for the month, set in May 2023, by 18%, or more than 132,000 movements. This increase in passenger traffic coincided with a 13.8% rise in aircraft movements, totaling 5,607 take-offs and landings in May, and a 14.1% increase in seat capacity. (The Malta Independent)
Public Service Expo cost just short of EUR 700,000
The Government’s 2024 Public Service Expo cost €680,840, according to information presented in parliament. It was revealed that €490,781 was allocated for stands and merchandise, €95,071 for advertising, €78,291 for hospitality, €13,508 for office services, and €3,259 for insurance, safety, and security. In a twist of fate, Abela appeared to pinpoint civil sector workers when questioned to identify reasons associated with Labour’s unexpected electoral result. (Maltatoday)
