Dr Harry Vassallo, the leader of Alternattiva Demokratika, has announced that he will be submitting his resignation from the chairmanship of the party at its Annual General Conference.

AD gathered only 3,810 votes on Saturday, equivalent to 1.31 percent of the total vote. The party won just 0.68 percent of the vote in the 2003 election and 1.21 percent in the 1998 elections.

Dr Vassallo admitted that the party had expected much better this time around. He said he would submit his resignation but would stay on if the party so requested, although he would prefer to now work as a foot soldier.

Dr Vassallo said that the electoral law needed to be reformed, because, although AD had won the equivalent of a quota, it would not be represented in Parliament. There was also a need for election debate to focus on issues of substance rather than personalities, he said.

Dr Vassallo congratulated Lawrence Gonzi on his victory and sent his best wishes to Alfred Sant, who resigned earlier today.