Mayor of Gibraltar

The Mayor of Gibraltar is the ceremonial official of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The mayor is appointed by the elected Members of Parliament[1] and the office is situated at City Hall John Mackintosh Square. Since 6 June 2023, Carmen Gomez has held the position of Mayor of Gibraltar, succeeding Christian Santos GMD.[2]

Mayor of Gibraltar
Incumbent
Carmen Gomez
since 6 June 2023
StyleHer Worship
ResidenceGibraltar City Hall
AppointerParliament
Inaugural holderSir Joshua Hassan
DeputyNicky Guerrero
SalaryNone
Websitehttp://www.mayor.gi/

History
Centrally situated at John Mackintosh Square, opposite the Gibraltar Parliament, the Gibraltar City Hall is the office of the Mayor of Gibraltar.

Since its creation in 1921, the city council had a chairman. In 1955, upon request of the members of the city council, the post was renamed to mayor, and therefore, the mayor of Gibraltar was chosen from among the members of the council. Joshua Hassan, MVO, QC, JP, the chairman of the city council at the time become the first mayor of Gibraltar.

1969 Constitution
Main article: Gibraltar Constitution Order 1969

The city council disappeared when the new Gibraltar Constitution Order in Council was signed in 1969. However, the mayor of Gibraltar survived, but only with a ceremonial character, and was to be elected by the House of Assembly (later the Parliament).[3] This meant that office was invariably taken by the Speaker or a government minister.[4]

The 1969 Constitution stated:[3]

A person elected to the office of Mayor shall hold office upon such terms and conditions, and shall perform such functions (being ceremonial functions of a civic character), as may be determined by the Governor, acting after consultation with the Gibraltar Council.

2006 Constitution
Main article: Gibraltar Constitution Order 2006

Following the new 2006 Constitution, the mayor no longer had to be chosen from among the members of Parliament. Instead, the mayor is appointed by Parliament. The intention was to move to a new system whereby citizens from the community at large can be appointed mayor for a one-year period, although this can sometimes be for longer. The Government of Gibraltar announced that a deputy mayor would also be appointed for the same period and would then take up the office of mayor.[4]

Appointment

The Mayor of Gibraltar is appointed by Parliament but no longer from within Parliament, and is to hold the position for a minimum one-year period.[5] As per the 2006 Constitution:[1]

A person elected to the office of Mayor shall hold office upon such terms and conditions, and shall perform such functions (being ceremonial functions of a civic character), as may be determined by the Parliament.

Deputy

A deputy mayor is at the same time appointed by Parliament for one year to assist and support the mayor in the discharge of mayoral duties, as well as to act as mayor when she or he is unable to participate in a civic event. The deputy will take office as mayor the following year and a new deputy appointed, and so on.[5][6]

Duties

Since 1969, the duties of the mayor are entirely ceremonial and civic.[5] The posts of mayor and deputy mayor of Gibraltar are honorific and thus unpaid.[4]

List of mayors

The following is a list of all the mayors of Gibraltar since the first tenure began in 1955:[7]

No. Image Name Took office Left office
1 The Hon. Sir Joshua A. Hassan The Hon. Sir Joshua Hassan CBE MVO QC JP 23 February 1955 2 June 1969
2 The Hon. Col. William Thompson OBE JP 2 June 1969 6 November 1970
3 The Hon. Alfred J. Vasquez CBE MA 6 November 1970 22 April 1976
4 The Hon. Adolfo J. Canepa The Hon. Adolfo J. Canepa Esq 22 April 1976 31 December 1978
5 The Hon. Horace J. Zammit Esq 1 January 1979 31 July 1979
6 The Hon. Abraham W. Serfaty CBE JP 1 August 1979 31 July 1988
7 The Hon. Mari I. Montegriffo 1 August 1988 20 March 1995
8 The Hon. Robert Mor Esq 20 March 1995 31 July 1996
9 Judge John E. Alcantara CBE 1 August 1996 31 July 2004
10 The Hon. Clive G. Beltran MP 1 August 2004 31 July 2008
11 Solomon Levy MBE, JP Solomon 'Momy' Levy, MBE, JP 1 August 2008 31 July 2009
12 Olga Zammitt, OBE, JP Olga Zammitt OBE, JP 1 August 2009 31 July 2010
13 Anthony Lombard Anthony J P Lombard LL.B. 1 August 2010 31 July 2011
14 Julio Alcantara Julio Alcantara MBE MA 1 August 2011 31 July 2012
15 Anthony Lima Anthony Lima MBE RD RNR Retd. 1 August 2012 31 July 2014
16 The Hon. Adolfo J. Canepa The Hon. Adolfo J. Canepa OBE GMH MP 1 August 2014 31 July 2017
17 Kaiane Lopez Kaiane Aldorino GMH 1 August 2017 4 April 2019
18 John Gonçalves MBE GMD 4 April 2019 1 June 2021
19 Christian Santos GMD 1 June 2021 6 June 2023
20
Carmen Gomez 6 June 2023 Incumbent

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mayors of Gibraltar.
  1. Gibraltar Constitution Order 2006 Archived 21 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "New Mayor John Gonçalves says he wants to give young people a voice". Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  3. Gibraltar Constitution Order 1969
  4. Changes in Mayorship of Gibraltar
  5. Sur in English - Gibraltar appoints its first non-parliamentary Mayor, Solomon Levy
  6. "Gibraltar.gi - Who wants to be Mayor?". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  7. Portraits of Gibraltar's 10 Mayors

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