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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 DECEMBER 2020 10 NEWS Christmas specials • MaltaToday surveys THIS CHRISTMAS, THE PREFECT GIFT IS LOVE. WITH YOUR DONATION, WE CAN HELP THOSE IN NEED. www.richmond.org.mt/the-gift-of-therapy/ ROBERT Abela became prime minister in January on the back of a political crisis that rocked the Labour administration to its core. The incoming prime minister had to deal with the fallout that saw Joseph Muscat step out of Castille in January and eventu- ally resign from parliament in October. Konrad Mizzi was kicked out of the Labour Party and Chris Cardona was asked to resign as Abela trimmed off the compro- mised branches. The fallout also saw police chief Lawrence Cutajar and at- torney general Peter Grech be- ing replaced. And to top it all, Abela's gov- ernment had to deal with a global pandemic that brought countries and societies to their knees. It is arguably the most tumul- tuous start for any prime min- ister since independence. But despite this gloomy back- drop, surveys carried out by MaltaToday continued to give the Labour Party a strong lead over the Nationalist Party. The PL posted its strongest showings between February and May, as voters warmed up to Abela's strong-willed ap- proach to tackle the political crisis and appreciated his ad- ministration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Malta's first coronavirus case was reported on 7 March with schools closing a couple of weeks later. The handling of the pandemic in that period was exceptional as Malta avoided the crisis wit- nessed in neighbouring Italy. This reflected itself in the sur- vey numbers. Support for the PL grew from 49.2% in Febru- ary to 51.9% in May. Support for the PL dipped and settled at an average of 44.4% between June and De- cember, possibly reflecting the criticism Abela faced over his loose talk over the summer dis- missing the second wave of the pandemic, and the subsequent increase in deaths, especially in old people's homes. October spelt the worst result for the PL in three years as it registered 40.3% but went on to recover the lost ground in the final two months of the year. But the PL's fortunes have al- so to be viewed in the context A look back at the MaltaToday survey results shows that the Labour Party retained a strong lead over the Nationalist Party in 2020 but Bernard Grech's coming dented the armour. Kurt Sansone reports Gloomy 2020 leaves PL ahead in the polls Abela's government had to deal with a global pandemic that brought countries and societies to their knees. But despite this gloomy backdrop, surveys carried out by MaltaToday continued to give the Labour Party a strong lead over the Nationalist Party