7
NEWS
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 APRIL 2024
munity of Siġġiewi," the ministry
said when asked for its reaction.
Nonetheless, the timing of this
process on the eve of what is ex-
pected to be a hotly contested lo-
cal election raises suspicion. The
move has all the hallmarks of a
Labour Party trying to ensure it
retains control of the Siġġiewi
local council.
In 2019, the PL won a majority
of seats in Siġġiewi for the first
time in local election history. It
was a razor thin victory that saw
the PL obtain a mere 70 votes
more than the Nationalist Party.
The PL is hoping to repeat the
feat, while the PN has made it
one of its election targets to win
back the council.
On Friday, the PN filed court
proceedings asking that the 99
voters be transferred back to
their original addresses since
they do not live at the address
indicated on their ID card.
PN secretary general Michael
Piccinino said the PN was not
calling for voters to be struck off
the electoral register but to have
their addresses transferred back
to the localities they are current-
ly living in.
Piccinino described the situ-
ation as systematic misuse of
government housing that is tan-
tamount to gerrymandering in a
bid to influence the outcome of
the upcoming local council elec-
tion.
Meanwhile, the PL reacted to
Friday's court action by trying
to paint the PN as being against
social housing projects, an as-
sertion rejected outright by the
Opposition.
Attempts to contact Housing
Minister Roderick Galdes di-
rectly were unsuccessful.
Malta
Pajjiżna
Flimkien
inkomplu
nsaħħu lil
electricity, internal works still ongoing
Extensive work is still going on
at the Siggiewi building
