Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1338076
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 10 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS MALTATODAY'S last sur- vey shows that while La- bour enjoys an 8-point gap over the PN, the gap between the two lead- ers narrows down to 6.6 points. Grech is 2.2 points more popular than his party while Ab- ela is less than a point more popular than his party. And while 6.4% of PL voters in 2017 trust Grech more than Abela, on- ly 4% would vote PN. Significantly 4% of current Labour voters trust Grech more than Abela, in contrast to 3% of current PN voters who trust Abela more than Grech. This suggests that while Labour re- tains a strong lead in adverse times, Grech is on a more fa- vourable trajectory than Abela, whose trust rating is now at the low- est point ever. A presidential choice? The survey suggests that the Oppo- sition would be performing better in a presidential contest between two leaders than in a parliamentary con- test between parties. While it is normal for political leaders to be more trusted than the party they lead, as was the case with Lawrence Gonzi, Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela himself, this was not the case with Alfred Sant and Adrian Delia, who consistently scored low- er than their own party, and Simon Busuttil, whose trust rating often mirrored the low support for his par- ty. Joseph Muscat's lead over Simon Busuttil was also always greater than that of the PL over the PN. This puts Grech in the league of successful Maltese political leaders who were always one step ahead of their party. But since Grech inherits the wide gap between his party and Labour from the past two elections, a small turnaround in his favour is not enough for a reversal of fortunes. The survey suggests that more peo- ple are ready to trust the PN leader than actually voting for the party. This may of- fer the party hope because voters tend to first warm up to the leader before shifting allegiance to the party. Which party has the best team? But Malta is not a presidential re- public and remains a parliamentary democracy where elections are not just about choosing a Prime Minister but all about choosing a government. The survey suggests that while Grech is consistently making small but significant gains, the latest sur- vey shows the PN registering a small decline. One possibility is that the elector- ate remains unconvinced that the PN can govern the country better than Labour. For when voting in a real election voters will not just be ask- ing which leader they trust most, but also which party has the best team to govern the country. And while Labour is showing signs of fatigue and in some cases signs of arrogance and incompetence, it re- mains hard to imagine the current shadow cabinet assuming the reins of government. Moreover in recent weeks Abela has strengthened his own team through the co-options of Miriam Dallia, Clyde Caruana and Oliver Scicluna. In short, after the meltdown of his disgraced predecessor, Abela has managed to inject new uncontami- nated blood in his government. While this has not resulted in any gains for Abela or Labour in Malta- Today's recent surveys, Labour has managed to retain a strong lead in very difficult times where a number The latest MaltaToday survey shows Bernard Grech is not only more trusted than his party but that he is also making greater inroads than his own party among Labour voters in 2017. But come the election, will voters trust the PN with governing the country? asks JAMES DEBONO Bernard Grech, trusted more than Where is the PN is these popular struggles as it continues chasing with the hounds and running with the hares? Even though survey shows third parties barely registering any support, the PN can't take any category of voters for granted