Abela expects MLP administration to resign

George Abela yesterday said he expected all those who occupy an official position within the Labour party to submit their resignation as soon as the new leader is elected.

Dr Abela and the other leadership contenders have spoken out in favour of a bid to force the election of the Labour Party's administration earlier than next January when it is due to be held.

A petition in this sense was circulated among party delegates but was placed on the back burner pending Thursday's election.

Speaking during the Smash TV programme Realtà last night, Dr Abela said the report on Labour's election defeat needed to be discussed internally well before September when working groups are due to start analysing it. The leadership campaign had "by and large" been "clean and civil", he said, pointing to the qualities of the other contenders and saying he was looking forward to working with them.

He said there was a group of delegates who considered him to be "the prodigal son" - someone who left the party and returned to lead it to winning ways.

Other delegates, however, were still hurt by the fact that he had quit the party in 1998 after the then leadership called a snap election against his advice.

These delegates, he said, keep asking him for an explanation and he always gave them the same reply: The early election brought disaster for the party and since then, it has not won another general election.