No doubt inadvertently, The Times (January 17) misreported part of what Alfred Sant said at the Labour Party's general conference regarding local council and national elections. For the sake of correctness here is a transcript of the Leader of the Opposition's remarks:

"We have discussed and will continue to discuss (with the PN) changes to local council elections, that is whether such elections should happen every year or every two years. It makes sense for them to start taking place every two years... for the reason that we would cut costs and there would be a term of four years for every local council to implement its programme... But then we also said: yes let us implement this measure but it does not make sense to adjust this and not adjust also the other matter of districts for national elections. One goes with the other.

"Here too, with goodwill, we can move forward. It is not right that after general elections, when Labour wins the majority it has just one seat more and when the Nationalists gain the majority they have five seats more. Is this fair?... Let us ensure that the party which has the majority of first count votes and the one which has the minority of first count votes operate within a system that gives parties a (corresponding) proportionality of seats in Parliament.

"Based on first count votes and not on votes inherited from other counts. And we should ensure too that the governability of the country is safeguarded. And ensure too that whoever has the absolute majority of votes would have the absolute majority of seats in Parliament. Fair...?"