Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1436880
15 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 DECEMBER 2021 Jobsplus Permit Number 357/2021 Jobsplus Permit Number 61/2019 Visit www.landsauthority.org.mt/mt/about-us/careers/ for the relevant job description. Apply: hr.la@landsauthority.org.mt Closing Date: 17 th December 2021. WE ARE RECRUITING! SENIOR PROFESSIONAL OFFICER – LEGAL SENIOR PROFESSIONAL OFFICER ARCHITECT & CIVIL ENGINEER No election before Easter 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Will vote PL Will vote PN Don't know Wil not vote Voted PL 2017 Voted PN 2017 Didn't vote 2017 Before Easter After Easter Don't know/No difference Percentage of respondents on whether they would prefer the 2022 general election before or after the Easter break 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ Primary Secondary Post-Sec Tertiary Before Easter After Easter Don't know/No difference Respondents according to regional distribution 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Gozo Northern N Harbour S Eastern S Harbour Western 6.6% 19.2% 28.1% 28.5% 43.4% 18.1% 33.2% 48.7% 23.9% 31.7% 44.4% 16.5% 26.7% 56.8% 12.7% 34.8% 52.6% Before Easter After Easter Don't know/No difference ALL 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 18.6% 30.2% 51.2% Before Easter After Easter Don't know/No difference Male Female 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 20.2% 30.6% 49.2% 16.9% 29.8% 53.3% Before Easter After Easter Don't know/No difference Respondents according to age and education Respondents according to gender Respondents according to political preference KURT SANSONE TRYING to read Robert Abela's mind on when he intends calling a general election has been next to impossible even for people within the Labour Party. But a survey carried out by MaltaToday shows that while for an absolute majority of people it makes no difference when an election is held, a relative major- ity believe it should happen after Easter. Easter next year comes on 17 April and 30.2% of respondents believe the election should come afterwards. This would mean an election in May or June. Holding the election be- fore Easter is the least at- tractive option with 18.6% of respond- ents saying the Prime Minister should call it be- fore April. But an abso- lute majority, 51.2%, either cannot decide or the election date is of no rele- vance to them. The figures suggest there is lit- tle appetite for an election and among those who have a strong opinion on when it should be held, it would seem the latest possible is the best choice. The Labour administration's five-year term ends in June 2022 and it is legally possible to hold the election at the very latest in September, although this is the unlikeliest scenario. The Prime Minister has the prerogative to call an election whenever he wants. The survey shows that the young (16-35) are almost even- ly split on either side of Easter, while 49% are indifferent. In this age group, 26.8% believe the election should be held after Easter, while 24.2% believe it should be held before. The option to hold the election after Easter is the in- creasing choice the older the vot- ers get. P e n s i o n e r s are the cohort with strong- est belief that an election should be held after Easter (36.5%) but they are also the most indifferent (52.9%). On a geographical basis, voters in Gozo are the most indifferent (74.2%) as to when an election should be held and the least likely to prefer it before Easter (6.6%). Labour voters want it late When analysed by political al- legiance, those who voted for the Labour Party in 2017 are signifi- cantly more indifferent than Na- tionalist voters – 52% and 45.2% respectively. However, while PN voters are evenly split as to when the elec- tion should be held with 28.1% saying it should happen before Easter and 26.8% after, Labour- ites are more likely to prefer a late election. The survey shows that 33.9% of Labour voters believe the elec- tion should be held after Easter and 14% before. The PL has consistently led the PN at the polls with significant margins over the past four years. This can explain the indifference among Labour supporters, who believe victory is assured irre- spective of when an election is held. ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Election after Easter please, though majority don't care mt survey