Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543797
THE gap between the Labour and Nationalist parties stands at 7,500 votes, while Robert Abela enjoys a six-point lead over Alex Borg, MaltaToday's March sur- vey shows. The second survey of 2026, carried out over the past two weeks, shows little change from January with the gap marginally narrowing to 2.6 points from 3.2 points. Meanwhile, the trust gap between the lead- ers widened to 6.4 points from 5.4 points in January. The survey coincided with increased polar- isation over the ap- pointment of the chief justice and with increased global instability caused by war in Iran. Based on a turnout of around 81%—similar to that registered in January—the gap would translate into a vote difference of around 7,500 votes, down from 9,300 in Jan- uary. The difference re- mains within the margin of error of both surveys. Labour continues to be penalised by a higher ab- stention rate among its 2022 voters. While 13.3% of former PL voters say they intend not to vote, only 5.6% of former PN voters say the same. This is the main factor explaining the reduced gap be- tween the two major parties. However, the survey also con- firms that current non-voters are more likely to trust Robert Abela than Alex Borg to lead the country. This suggests Labour has more room to grow than the PN. The survey shows that the percentage of non-voters has remained stable, indicating that while these voters are not mov- ing towards the Opposition, they are still keeping Labour on edge. YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY 8 MARCH 2026 • ISSUE 1374 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY The radio star maltatoday Troubled waters Iran war War and its impact on mental health, trade and Malta's economy JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt €2.20 PAGES 2-3 Jonathan Abel on what drives his passion for radio The explosion of a Russian ship raises security and environmental concerns INTERVIEW MT2 PL 48.2% 45.6% PN VOTING INTENTIONS ADPD 3.7% Momentum 2.1% Others: 0.4% Turnout 80.7% TRUST Robert Abela 44.1% Alex Borg 37.9% None 18.2% GOV PERFORMANCE 3 out of 5 Energy subsidies must stay, finance minister says FINANCE Minister Clyde Caruana believes it is the government's duty to weath- er the impact of economic shocks from the Iran war by keeping energy subsidies. Caruana was speaking to MaltaToday a week after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran and killed its supreme leader. The days that followed saw Iran re- taliate with missile and drone strikes of its own, targeting US embassies, military bases, and oil facilities in the wider Gulf region. Labour leads by 7,500 votes SEE MALTATODAY SURVEY PAGES 7-10 CONTINUES PAGE 12 PAGE 11-14 IRAN WAR MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt