Mayor of Gibraltar
Encyclopedia
His or Her Worship
Worship (style)
His or Her Worship is an honorific prefix for mayors, Justices of the Peace and magistrates in Commonwealth Realms. In spoken address, these officials are addressed as Your Worship or referred to as His or Her Worship; South Africa is an exception, as the term is still used to address judges in...

, the Mayor of Gibraltar, is currently the ceremonial official of the British overseas territory
British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...

 of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

. The Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 is appointed by the elected
Elections in Gibraltar
Elections in Gibraltar gives information on election and election results in Gibraltar.Gibraltar elects on national level a legislature. The Gibraltar Parliament has 17 members, all elected for a four year term in one constituency with each voter getting to vote for their selection of eight...

 Members of Parliament and takes residency in the City Hall
Gibraltar City Hall
The Gibraltar City Hall is the city hall for Gibraltar, centrally located within the city at the west end of John Mackintosh Square. It is the official residence of the Mayor of Gibraltar.-History:...

. Since the 1 August 2010 Anthony Lombard
Anthony Lombard
Anthony J P Lombard LL.B., is the incumbent Mayor of Gibraltar. He was appointed to office on 1 August 2010.He is the honorary consul of the Republic of Poland in Gibraltar and the recipent of the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.-References:...

 holds the position of Mayor of Gibraltar and Julio Alcantara
Julio Alcantara
Julio James Alcantara MBE is the incumbent Deputy Mayor of Gibraltar. He was appointed to the office of Deputy Mayor on 1 August 2010 and will be appointed to Mayor on 1 August 2011...

 that of Deputy Mayor.

History

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
Joshua Hassan
Sir Joshua Abraham Hassan, GBE, KCMG, LVO, QC , nicknamed "Salvador" , was a Gibraltarian politician, and first Mayor and Chief Minister of Gibraltar, serving two terms as Chief Minister for a total of 17 years...

, the Chairman of the City Council at the time become the first Mayor of Gibraltar.

1969 Constitution

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
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....

 (later the Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...

). This meant that office was invariably taken by the Speaker or a Government Minister.

The 1969 Constitution
Gibraltar Constitution Order 1969
The Gibraltar Constitution Order 1969 was published on 30 May 1969 as an Order in Council.The constitution was the outcome of the Constitutional Conference chaired by Malcolm Shepherd, 2nd Baron Shepherd which lasted from July 16 1968 to July 24...

 stated:

2006 Constitution

Following the new 2006 Constitution
Gibraltar Constitution Order 2006
The Gibraltar Constitution Order 2006 was taken to a referendum in Gibraltar on 30 November 2006. A coalition of groups opposing the proposal held that a majority of 60% should be required to give effect to a new Constitution, quoting other instances...

, 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.

Appointment

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. As per the 2006 Constitution:

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 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.

Duties

Since 1969, the Mayor is not a political figure as his/her duties are entirely ceremonial
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...

 and civic
Civic engagement
Civic engagement or civic participation has been defined as "Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern."-Forms:...

. The posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Gibraltar are honorific
Title of honor
An honorary title or title of honor is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an award in recognition of their merits.Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a title of authority, but the person bestowed does not have to carry any duties, possibly except for...

 and thus unpaid.

Gibraltar National Day

The most prominent event in the Mayor's calendar is the Gibraltar National Day
Gibraltar National Day
Gibraltar National Day, celebrated annually on 10 September, is the official national day of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The day commemorates Gibraltar's first sovereignty referendum of 1967, in which Gibraltarian voters were asked whether they wished to either pass under Spanish...

. On this day the Mayor formally presents the Gibraltar Medallion of Honour
Gibraltar Medallion of Honour
The Gibraltar Medallion of Honour is a civil award scheme established by the Government of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Its creation was announced in July 2008 by Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Peter Caruana...

 to its recipients and reads out the Gibraltar National Day Declaration from the City Hall's balcony.

List of Mayors

The following is a list of all the Mayors of Gibraltar since the first tenure began in 1955:
Picture Name Took Office Left Office
1
The Hon.
The Honourable
The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable is a style used before the names of certain classes of persons. It is considered an honorific styling.-International diplomacy:...

 Sir Joshua Hassan
Joshua Hassan
Sir Joshua Abraham Hassan, GBE, KCMG, LVO, QC , nicknamed "Salvador" , was a Gibraltarian politician, and first Mayor and Chief Minister of Gibraltar, serving two terms as Chief Minister for a total of 17 years...

 CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 MVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...

 QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

 JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

1955 1969
2 The Hon. Col.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

 William Thompson OBE JP
1969 1970
3 The Hon. Alfred J. Vasquez CBE MA 1970 1976
4
The Hon. Adolfo J. Canepa
Adolfo Canepa
Adolfo John Canepa was a Gibraltarian politician. He has dedicated most of his life to politics and the development of Gibraltar, having served both as Leader of the Opposition and as Chief Minister of Gibraltar from 8 December 1987 to 25 March 1988...

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
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

 John E. Alcantara CBE
1996 2004
10 The Hon. Clive G. Beltran 2004 31 July 2008
11 Solomon 'Momy' Levy
Solomon Levy
Solomon "Momy" Levy, is a Jewish Gibraltarian estate agent and former Mayor of Gibraltar. He held office from 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009.-References:...

1 August 2008 31 July 2009
12 Olga Zammitt OBE, JP 1 August 2009 31 July 2010
13 Anthony J P Lombard
Anthony Lombard
Anthony J P Lombard LL.B., is the incumbent Mayor of Gibraltar. He was appointed to office on 1 August 2010.He is the honorary consul of the Republic of Poland in Gibraltar and the recipent of the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.-References:...

 Ll.B.
1 August 2010 Will leave office on 31 July 2011
14 Julio Alcantara
Julio Alcantara
Julio James Alcantara MBE is the incumbent Deputy Mayor of Gibraltar. He was appointed to the office of Deputy Mayor on 1 August 2010 and will be appointed to Mayor on 1 August 2011...

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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