Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1520732
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 MAY 2024 SURVEY PL lead grows to 20,000 as PN is punished harder in politically charged climate LABOUR is leading the Nation- alist Party by 19,864 votes, an eight-point gap, despite experi- encing a decrease in support, a MaltaToday survey shows. The survey was conducted be- tween 3 and 10 May, a politically tumultuous week when charges were filed against former prime minister Joseph Muscat and oth- ers. The PL's support dipped to 49.4% from 50.7% but a 2.5-point decrease for the PN contributed to a bigger gap between the two major parties. Support for the PN stood at 41.7%, while that for third parties and independent candidates al- most doubled to 8.9%. In the last MaltaToday survey published on 5 May with data captured before the Vitals cri- sis erupted, the gap between the two main parties stood at 17,000 votes. In the latest survey, the turnout remained at a historic low of 69% Despite the epochal events linked to the Vitals case, the re- sults do not suggest any dramatic changes except for a small in- crease in Labour's turnout par- ticularly in its southern heart- lands. The survey suggests that La- bour risks losing its absolute ma- jority in the European Parliament election. It also indicates a signif- icant shift from both the PN and the PL to third parties. While the PL loses 3.9% of its 2022 voters to third parties, the PN loses 4.5%. The survey also registers a small but significant shift from the PL to the PN. While Labour loses 4.4% of its voters in 2022 to the PN, the latter only loses 0.4% of its voters to Labour. But these gains for the Oppo- sition are offset by a greater ab- stention rate among PN voters. The survey suggests that the increased political polarisation has not resulted in any overall increase in the turnout. In the 5 May survey, the turnout stood at 71%. This has now hit 69%. Before the current political cri- sis, the PL was losing 23% of its 2022 voters to abstention and the PN was losing 15%. The PN is now losing 22% of its voters to abstention and the PL 20%. CONTINUES ON PAGES 6 TO 9 JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt