| Mayor of Gibraltar |
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|---|---|
Coat of arms of the Mayor of Gibraltar |
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| Style | His Worship |
| Residence | Gibraltar City Hall |
| Appointer | Gibraltar Parliament |
| Term length | 12 months |
| Inaugural holder | Joshua Hassan |
| Succession | Julio Alcantara |
| Deputy | Julio Alcantara |
| Salary | Unpaid |
His or Her Worship, the Mayor of Gibraltar, is currently the ceremonial official of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The Mayor is appointed by the elected Members of Parliament[1] and takes residency in the City Hall. Since the 1 August 2010 Anthony Lombard holds the position of Mayor of Gibraltar and Julio Alcantara that of Deputy Mayor.[2]
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Since the creation of the City Council in 1921, it 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, the Chairman of the City Council at the time become the first Mayor of Gibraltar.
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. | ” |
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. The Government of Gibraltar announced that a Deputy Mayor would also be appointed for the same period and would take up the office of Mayor the following year.[4]
The Mayor of Gibraltar is appointed by Parliament but no longer from within Parliament, and is to hold the position for a 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. | ” |
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 s/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]
Since 1969, the Mayor is not a political figure as his/her duties are entirely ceremonial and civic.[5] The posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Gibraltar are honorific and thus unpaid.[4]
The most prominent event in the Mayor's calendar is the Gibraltar National Day. On this day the Mayor formally presents the Gibraltar Medallion of Honour to its recipients and reads out the Gibraltar National Day Declaration from the City Hall's balcony.
The following is a list of all the Mayors of Gibraltar since the first tenure began in 1955:[7]
| Picture | Name | Took Office | Left Office | |
| 1 | The Hon. Sir Joshua Hassan CBE MVO QC JP | 1955 | 1969 | |
| 2 | The Hon. Col. William Thompson OBE JP | 1969 | 1970 | |
| 3 | The Hon. Alfred J. Vasquez CBE MA | 1970 | 1976 | |
| 4 | The Hon. Adolfo J. Canepa | 1976 | 1978 | |
| 5 | The Hon. Horace J. Zammit | 1979 | 1979 | |
| 6 | The Hon. Abraham W. Serfaty CBE JP | 1979 | 1988 | |
| 7 | The Hon. Mari I. Montegriffo | 1988 | 1995 | |
| 8 | The Hon. Robert Mor | 1995 | 1996 | |
| 9 | Judge John E. Alcantara CBE | 1996 | 2004 | |
| 10 | The Hon. Clive G. Beltran | 2004 | 31 July 2008 | |
| 11 | Solomon 'Momy' Levy | 1 August 2008 | 31 July 2009 | |
| 12 | Olga Zammitt OBE, JP | 1 August 2009 | 31 July 2010 | |
| 13 | Anthony J P Lombard Ll.B. | 1 August 2010 | Will leave office on 31 July 2011 | |
| 14 | Julio Alcantara | Will take office on 1 August 2011 | Will leave office on 31 July 2012 | |
| 15 | Anthony Lima | Will take office on 1 August 2012 | Will leave office on 31 July 2013 |
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