Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1520224
KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY 5 MAY 2024 • ISSUE 1278 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY PN threatens legal action if AG does not publish inquiry PAGE 4 Smoking cannabis in public may yet become a civic issue for Maltese PAGES 6 - 7 Vitals Cannabis maltatoday Abstention reduces Labour's lead to 17,000 Ministers fear government paralysis after hospitals inquiry A higher abstention rate has punished the Labour Party, which sees its lead over the Nationalist Party decrease to 17,000 votes, MaltaToday's latest survey shows. The PL still enjoys an absolute majority of 50.7%, followed by the PN with 44.2%. Third parties and independents collectively polled 5.1%. The survey was carried out in the last two weeks of April before candidate nomina- tions opened and when the latest political turmoil surrounding the hospitals inquiry had not yet erupted. It also coincided with a time when expectations of a possible can- didature of former prime minister Joseph Muscat started fading. The gap has narrowed to seven points from 10 points in March when the last sur- vey was held. The survey shows that Roberta Metsola and Alex Agius Saliba are the two strongest candidates with the former scoring 16% and the latter 8%. However, the findings show that 60% of Labour voters are undecided on which can- didate they will be voting for, a possible reac- tion to the uncertainty prevailing at the time of the survey over a Muscat bid. On the flip side, only 43% of PN voters are undecided for which candidate they will be voting for. The wide difference in uncertainty levels can partly explain the substantial gap be- tween Metsola and Agius Saliba in the sur- vey. FULL SURVEY RESULTS PAGES 11 - 15 LABOUR ministers are fearing government paralysis in the wake of what appears to be criminal action against senior public officers recommended by the magistrate in the hos- pitals inquiry. Although the inquiry has not been made public, several members of Cabinet who spoke to MaltaToday on condition of ano- nymity, suggested that the magistrate cast a wide net. PAGES 2 - 3 A rundown of Week 1 of the election campaign PAGE 3 Playbook Football €1.95 MFA vice-president MFA vice-president Maria Azzopardi on Maria Azzopardi on the new Premier the new Premier League format, League format, gender and more gender and more INTERVIEWMT2 MaltaToday survey PL 50.7% 44.2% PN VOTING INTENTIONS Others: 5.1% | Turnout: 71% CANDIDATES FIRST CHOICE Roberta Metsola 16% | Alex Agius Saliba 8% GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE 2.9 marks out of 5