In your editorial A new political season?, you rightly ask whether new Labour leader Joseph Muscat is really happy with the outcome of the elections for the party’s new administrative set-up.

Behind the brave and smiling face, Dr Muscat must have realised that the chances that he will be taking his party to an election victory in 2013 have been badly damaged with the re-election of Jason Micallef as secretary general.

I just wonder what Labour delegates were thinking. They first elect a new, dynamic and progressive leader, one who can lift the party out of the misery it has experienced over the past two decades or so.

And then they go and throw it out of the window by confirming Mr Micallef in a post that he does not deserve after all the mistakes he has committed since he took over.

The Nationalists must have opened champagne bottles upon hearing the news, and I must say that there are many genuine Labourites – who are not delegates – who have realised that they will live to regret this mistake.

The Labour Party has made it a point to mention that the PN is a minority government, since the PN did not obtain the majority of votes in the last election. But this point cannot be mentioned again, because the MLP has a general secretary who is not wanted by the majority of delegates.

The MLP should revise its statute, and appoint its officials in the same way that the leaders are appointed, that is with a run-off between the two candidates who poll the highest number of votes in the first round of elections.

What would have happened if this had been the case? I am quite sure that Mr Micallef would not have been re-elected.

Paul Abela

Paola