Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532501
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 FEBRUARY 2025 ANALYSIS MARIANNA CALLEJA mcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt As surveys reveal a growing number of undecided voters, representatives from the two major parties admitted to struggling to stay relevant and reconnect with the electorate Major parties talk winning disengaged voters as surveys show rising abstention rates REPRESENTATIVES from the Labour and Nationalist parties admitted that the two parties are facing increased pressure to stay relevant with the electorate. Speaking on TVM's Xtra, La- bour minister Owen Bonnici said that the Labour Party is listening to the electorate but must appeal to the large segment of undecided voters. "These survey results are like a weather report, a snapshot of a particular day. While they do not dictate politics, they provide valu- able insight. The Labour Party has taken the necessary lessons from these numbers and is committed to keeping close to the people," Bonnici said. Nationalist MP Adrian Delia said he's concerned that, despite dissatisfaction with the Labour government, voters who have abandoned Labour are not shift- ing their support to the National- ist Party. "The biggest question for us as the PN is: why aren't they com- ing to us? We can't just comfort ourselves by saying we have im- proved. If an election were held today, it wouldn't be enough," De- lia said. Labour Party president Alex Sciberras echoed Bonnici's assess- ment, arguing that political fatigue is a reality for any long-serving government. However, he point- ed to survey trends that indicate a shift back towards Labour. "A year ago, MaltaToday surveys showed a Nationalist Party lead for the first time in a long time. Today, they show a Labour lead. This means that, despite any fa- tigue, the government is manag- ing to regain trust," Sciberras said. Sciberras also took aim at the PN's political discourse, arguing that its aggressive language alien- ates voters. "We are seeing MPs claim that the government wants to kill whoever it wants, that it is a criminal organisation. This is not the language people want to hear." However PN MP Rebekah Borg also criticised the government's political rhetoric. "When I hear Alex speak about how we com- municate, I immediately think of the Prime Minister's last speech, an hour-long attack. That is not what young people care about, and that is the reality." Asked about younger voters, and whether the PN is attracting them, Borg said she feel that the political rhetoric is failing to reach them. "This is not about ideology, young people have different opin- ions, but many are simply disen- gaged. The way we communicate needs to change. Both parties must be more transparent, more relatable, and stop using tired po- litical language," she said. With elections looming, both major parties are confronted with the challenge of engaging the growing number of undecided voters, with surveys suggesting that the political landscape re- mains in flux. Bonnici highlighted this chal- lenge, stressing the need for both major parties to remain relevant to the expanding pool of undecid- ed voters. "There is a white box, a large section of voters who traditionally voted for either PL or PN but are now in between. Our duty as po- litical parties is to remain relevant to them." Meanwhile, Delia expressed surprise that despite a significant exodus of voters dissatisfied with the Labour government, they have not migrated to the PN. He em- phasised that both parties must understand what undecided vot- ers want in order to attract them in time for the election. Adding to this sentiment, Sci- berras warned that undecided voters, who make up a substantial portion of the electorate, are look- ing for political parties that listen to them. "These 25% who are undecided or uninterested are looking at us and asking, 'Are you speaking to us? Are you ready to understand us?'" Three surveys, Three surveys published within a week converge on the PN's score but differ on the scale of Labour's majority and even more on third- party backing. JAMES DEBONO crunches the numbers to draw common conclusions. A polling average based on the results of three electoral surveys published over the past week gives the Labour Party a 5.5-point lead over the Nationalist Party. The surveys published by MaltaToday, The Sunday Times, and statistician Vin- cent Marmara give the PL an average support of 49.9% against the PN's 44.4%. Sup- port for third parties would stand at an average of 5.7%. All three surveys were con- ducted in a comparable time frame. MaltaToday's survey was held between 29 January