Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1547077
SUNDAY • 11 OCTOBER 2026 | maltatoday One year on as leader Alex Borg scores 3.1 out of 5 ALEX Borg scores 3.1 out of 5 for his performance since being elected Na- tionalist leader, according to MaltaTo- day's October survey. Borg was elected Nationalist Party leader on 7 September 2025. The Malt- aToday survey was carried out just over a year later. Asked to rate his performance as PN leader on a scale from 0 to 5, with 0 meaning 'very bad' and 5 meaning 'very good', 42.2% gave Borg a rating of 4 or 5. At the other end of the scale, 25.7% rated his performance 0, 1 or 2, while 32.1% gave him the midpoint score of 3. Among those who currently say they would vote PN, Borg's average rating is 4 out of 5, compared with 2.1 among current PL voters. Those who current- ly support smaller parties give him an average rating of 2.7, while those who say they would not vote give him a 3.3. Among current PN voters, 2.8% rate Borg's performance at 0–2, 20.4% give him a 3, 50% give him 4 and 26.9% give him 5. This means that 76.9% of cur- rent PN voters give Borg a rating of 4 or 5. The contrast is particularly marked among current Labour voters. Their average rating is 2.1, with 55.3% giving Borg a score of 0–2, 34.9% giving him 3, and 9.8% giving him 4 or 5. Among people who say they would not vote, 13.1% give Borg a rating of 0–2, 45% give him 3, 36.8% give him 4 and 5.2% give him 5. The average rating among non-voters stands at 3.3. The youngest age group, those aged between 16 and 35, give Borg a rating of 3.1, exactly matching the overall score. The other age groups are also close to the overall result, ranging from 3 among pensioners to 3.2 among 36- to 50-year-olds. Gozo, Borg's home constituency, gives him a rating of 3.2, slightly above the national average, although the dif- ference is modest. The North Region records the highest rating, at 3.5, while the South Harbour and South East regions both give Borg 2.8. There is virtually no gender differ- ence, with both women and men rating Borg at 3.1. Measuring party leadership The survey also makes an important distinction between Borg's rating as PN leader and trust in him to lead the country. This distinction is significant because the 3.1 score measures public perceptions of Borg's performance in his current role as PN leader. It does not measure whether voters consider him the preferred person to serve as prime minister. In the same survey, when respond- ents are asked directly whom they trust more to lead the country between Robert Abela and Alex Borg, the prime minister emerges with a nine-point ad- vantage. The two questions therefore measure different aspects. The figures provide a snapshot of public perceptions of Borg after his first year at the helm of the party that has been in Opposition since 2013. As expected, his strongest ratings are con- centrated among current PN voters. However, he also scores an encourag- ing result among those who say they would not vote. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt How has Alex Borg performed one year on as party leader? Performance judged on a scale between 0 to 5 Overall Gender Male Female Age 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ How has Alex Borg performed one year on as party leader? Performance judged on a scale between 0 to 5 Overall Gender Male Female Age 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ Region North N. Harbour S. East West S. Habour Gozo Past-vote 2026 PL voters PN voters Non-voters Others How has Alex Borg performed one year on as party leader? Performance judged on a scale between 0 to 5 Overall Gender Male Female Age 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ Region North N. Harbour S. East West S. Habour Gozo Past-vote 2026 PL voters PN voters Non-voters Others This survey was conducted between 22 September and 2 October. The survey is based on a representative sample of 835 respondents. The sampling approach followed a stratified random design, ensuring proportional representation across How has Alex Borg performed one year on as party leader? Performance judged on a scale between 0 to 5 Overall Gender Male Female Age 16-35 36-50 51-65 65+ Region North N. Harbour S. East West S. Habour Gozo Past-vote 2026 PL voters PN voters Non-voters Others