Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1118959
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 MAY 2019 MIRIAM Dalli has strength- ened her grip on the top spot with 14.2% of respondents in a MaltaToday survey indicating her as their first-choice candi- date for the European election. The Labour MEP has seen her score increase by two points over the last survey published at the beginning of May. Her performance was not replicated by fellow MEP and former prime minister Alfred Sant, who saw his support col- lapse to 4.5% from 8.8%. Sant was at the centre of con- troversy over the past weeks when he used the statement "an eye for an eye" when refer- ring to his Nationalist oppo- nents. He also had a lacklus- tre performance on Xarabank when facing off with PN MEP David Casa. Sant retained the second place behind Dalli within the Labour fold but dropped to fourth in the overall list. Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola appears on track to be the second highest polling MEP candidate after Dalli, with 6.4% of respondents indicating her as their first-choice candi- date. Metsola's score remained unchanged since the start of May. Hot on Metsola's heels came Frank Psaila, who saw his sup- port climb to 5.3% from 2.9% at the start of the month. Psaila appears to have mus- tered strong enough support to stave off the stiff challenge for the PN's second seat from in- cumbent David Casa, who reg- istered an upward tick to 3.9%. All the top four candidates – Dalli, Metsola, Psaila and Sant – have registered results that are above the margin of error, which stands at 4.2%. The sur- vey was held between 9 May and 15 May. The results of the survey are indicative of the candi- dates' rankings at the first count and do not take into account vote transfers. This means that candidates with low rankings may still make it when votes of elected or eliminated candidates are transferred. The results are also condi- tioned by the fact that 41.8% of voters are still unsure about whom to give their number one vote. If the PL secures four seats, Josianne Cutajar and Alex Agius Saliba appear to be in pole position after Dalli and Sant. But vote transfers may change the nature of the race. The contest is tougher on the PN side. If the party re- tains the third seat, Casa may make it but he could lose out if the PN clinches only two seats. Norman Lowell, who is Im- perium Europa's sole can- didate, registered 1.3% and may emerge as the strongest third party candidate on Sat- urday. NEWS EUROPEAN ELECTIONS Dalli and Psaila advance, Sant falters The fourth MaltaToday survey asking people to indicate their first-choice candidate in Saturday's European election sees four candidates ahead of the rest NOEL CASSAR CAMILLA APPELGREN MARTIN CAUCHI INGLOTT JOSEPH M SAMMUT MICHAEL BRIGUGLIO MINA TOLU ARNOLD CASSOLA JAMES GRECH FELIX GALEA BUSUTTIL PETER AGIUS CYRUS ENGERER ALEX AGIUS SALIBA DAVID STELLINI NORMAN LOWELL FRANCIS ZAMMIT DIMECH JOSIANNE CUTAJAR DAVID CASA ALFRED SANT FRANK PSAILA ROBERTA METSOLA MIRIAM DALLI ALL PL 2017 PN 2017 AD 2017 PATRIOTS 2017 DID NOT VOTE 2017 PL NOW PN NOW AD NOW PD NOW PATRIOTS NOW IMPERIUM EUROPA NOW 0.1% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 42.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 57.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 27.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 30.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 29.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 32.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.2% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.4% 0.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.5% 0.9% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.0% 1.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.4% 0.0% 2.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.1% 0.3% 2.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1.3% 1.0% 0.0% 0.0% 100% 4.8% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 100% 1.8% 0.0% 4.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 6.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2.1% 4.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 3.9% 0.6% 8.9% 0.0% 0.0% 1.0% 13.3% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4.4% 8.5% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 5.3% 0.0% 12.2% 20.4% 0.0% 3.3% 18.9% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 6.4% 0.0% 15.8% 0.0% 0.0% 1.1% 22.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 14.2% 25.5% 2.3% 0.0% 0.0% 5.4% 0.0% 34.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% From left to right: Miriam Dalli (PL), Roberta Metsola (PN), Frank Psaila (PN), Alfred Sant (PL), David Casa (PN), and Josianne Cutajar (PL) 14.2% 6.4% 5.3% 4.4% 3.9% 2.1% The results are also conditioned by the fact that 41.8% of voters are still unsure about whom to give their number one vote