Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1459407
TRUTH IS OF NO COLOUR WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT/NEWS/ELECTION-2022 maltatoday €1.95 Farewell Mario New faces All eyes on new women candidates in the first election that also includes a quota for female MPs PAGE 18 SUNDAY • 13 MARCH 2022 • ISSUE 1167 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY KURT SANSONE THE Labour Party leads at the polls with an eight-point gap over the Na- tionalist Party, a one-point decline over seven days, MaltaToday's rolling sur- vey shows. At the end of the third week of the electoral campaign the PL registers 53.2% sup-port and the PN 44.8%. Third parties collectively have 2% support. The extrapolated result puts the gap between the two major parties at 25,996 votes, down from 27,265 last Sunday. The gap in the 2017 election FULL SURVEY PAGES 10-11 Undecided voters balloon, gap narrows to 26,000 MALTATODAY SURVEY PL loses 3.7% of 2017 support to PN, which loses 2.9%, a shift of 2,400 votes from Labour stood at 35,000. The results are based on an expect- ed share of valid votes that equates to 86.6% of eligible voters. This rep- resents almost a one-point increase since last Sunday. The expected share of valid votes is not the turnout figure, but rather the basis on which an election is deter- mined – valid votes cast. In the 2017 election, the turnout was 92.1% and the share of valid votes cast stood at 90.9%. PL 53.2% - 163,648 votes PN 44.8% - 137,652 votes SMALL PARTIES 2% - 6,230 votes Gap PL-PN 8.4% - 25,996 votes MaltaToday survey projected election result 1881 respondents (21/2/22-11/3/22) • est. margin of error 2.3% • confidence 95% overall EXTRAPOLATED RESULT PAUL COCKS A decision by the Maltese gov- ernment to subsidise the glob- al hike in the price of imported wheat, barley and other grains is expected by Monday or Tues- day, MaltaToday has learned. The price of wheat has risen by almost 30% since the Russian in- vasion in Ukraine and 60% since January, with Maltese importers and producers scrambling to se- cure alternative supply sources. But the rise in wheat prices will not be absorbed for much longer, importers who spoke to MaltaToday said. Wheat rose to $373 per tonne on Friday on the futures mar- ket, 30% higher than the $287 it closed at on 23 February, the day before the Russian invasion. Importers and producers held meetings with government of- ficials this week to discuss the alarming rise in prices and the supply shortage as war in Ukraine rages on. Marco Cachia, CEO of Feder- ated Mills, Malta's largest wheat importer and flour producer, said the company was seeking sources of wheat outside Eastern Europe, with resulting sanctions on Russia making it impossible to use their traditional supply chains. PAGE 4 Wheat prices up 60% since January, importers seek state support Karl Schembri's tribute to the poet of radicals PAGE 3 Unity A special edition, inside with MaltaToday ELECTIONS Sansone's guide to voting in 2022 PAGE 14