SA Election 2018: Premier Jay Weatherill says it’s clear that Labor will win most seats in state election

PREMIER Jay Weatherill says it’s “clear” that Labor will win the most seats at the March state election and be best placed to claim power by doing a deal with SA Best’s Nick Xenophon.

• SA Election 2018: The latest developments
• Wary Libs rule out dealing with Mr X

PREMIER Jay Weatherill says it’s “clear” Labor will win the most seats at the March state election and be best placed to claim power by doing a deal with SA Best’s Nick Xenophon.

Mr Weatherill has returned from Christmas leave ahead of a state election in 10 weeks’ time.

He said Labor’s ambition was to form a majority government, but “electoral arithmetic” indicated Mr Xenophon’s SA Best party would cannibalise the Liberal vote, and aid Labor.

Mr Weatherill said a vote for Labor or the Greens would return him to office, while the Liberals were bleeding support to groups including Australian Conservatives and SA Best.

Mr Xenophon has announced 13 candidates, 10 of which are in Liberal seats.

He says he will soon be hated equally by both big parties, with new candidates to come in Labor areas.

Opposition Leader Steven Marshall has ruled out doing a deal with Mr Xenophon.

Mr Weatherill said Labor had a record of working well in “complicated parliaments”.

“We’d prefer to get there on our own,” Mr Weatherill said on Monday.

“If we can’t get there in our own right, I think it’s pretty clear that we will be the largest single party after the election, subject to what the voters decide to do.

“I’m just looking at the electoral arithmetic. Nick Xenophon is chewing very deeply into Liberal Party territory.

“Even the Liberal Party strategists are giving up six seats.

Steven Marshall. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Nick Xenophon. Picture: Matt Loxton/AAP

“It’s very hard to see how the Liberal Party will cobble together a majority.

“If you vote green or red, you get me.

“If you vote orange or blue or any of the other shades of the rainbow, you don’t know what you’re going to get. “You don’t know what’s going to happen on the other side of politics.

“On our side of politics, it’s pretty clear that you get me for better of worse.

“We think we will deliver a strong and stable and secure government for the future.”