Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/408403
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2014 16 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 None of Labour's present crop of ministers enjoys the level of ap- proval of former Social Policy Min- ister Marie Louise Coleiro Preca before she was appointed Presi- dent. In February her performance was deemed positive by more than two thirds (68%) of respondents, including 41% of PN voters. In a clear sign that Colero Preca's popularity could not be attributed solely to her social policy portfo- lio, her successor in the same min- istry, Michael Farrugia, gets an ap- proval rating of only 39%. On the other hand the other two former junior ministers promoted to the cabinet in March, namely Tourism Minister Edward Zam- mit Lewis and Justice Minister Owen Bonnici, have struck a chord with the electorate, gar- nering approval ratings of over 50%. Still, Zammit Lewis's approval rating is five points lower than former tourism minister Kar- menu Vella's, who enjoyed a pos- itive rating of 56%. Zammit Lewis may also be benefiting from an- other record tourism season. Over the past months Bonnici has been proactive in reforming the justice system and proposing an overhaul of drug laws, which would lead to the decriminalisa- tion of drug use. Bonnici's popu- larity has not been dented by a court case in which he was cleared after being accused of negligence in causing a traffic incident. Evarist Bartolo, who faced dif- ficulties in the summer over the delayed opening of SkolaSajf, and who faces the usual teething prob- lems associated with the opening of schools in October, has seen a six point drop in his positive rat- ing but has emerged as the gov- ernment's most popular minister, along with Zammit Lewis. Significantly, Bartolo emerges as the most popular minister among PN voters, 31% of whom consider his performance as min- ister positively. Surprisingly Bartolo has reg- istered a slight increase among PN voters and a drop in approval among PL voters. Zammit Lewis and Owen Bon- nici also emerge as the second and third most popular ministers among PN voters. Joe Mizzi loses 26 points The most dramatic drop in ap- proval is registered by Transport Minister Joe Mizzi, who has seen his support dip by 26 points among all voters and by an impressive 33 points among PL voters. Mizzi has now re- placed Gozo Minister Anton Refalo as the government's weak- est link. Heavier traffic con- gestion over the last weeks and a deterio- ration of public transport are likely to have contributed to Mizzi's fall from grace, from a 52% approval rating in February. Super Minister Konrad Mizzi, who had health added to his en- ergy portfolio in the reshuffle, still enjoys a relatively high approval rating of 45% but this is a far cry from the 58% approval rating in February. This drop in popularity coin- cides with the admission that the government will not be honouring its electoral pledge to complete the new power infrastructure by next March. Konrad Mizzi's present approval is only slightly higher than that enjoyed by former Health Minis- ter Godfrey Farrugia. Still, among Labour voters Konrad Miz- zi's approval rate is only second to that of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. But even among Labour voters Mizzi's star is waning to the extent that he lost 11 points since February. Environment Minister Leo Brin- cat has also experienced a sharp drop in approval despite various initiatives, such as the proposed climate change legislation and the implementation of a new waste management plan. Disgruntlement on overdevelop- ment, which does not fall directly under Brincat's jurisdiction, could be contributing to Brincat's low ratings. Finance Minister Edward Sciclu- na has also seen an 11-point drop in approval. Among PL voters Sci- cluna loses 13 points. This drop coincided with public outrage on the pre-announced Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increase of 58 cents. Deputy PM Louis Grech, one of the least visible cabinet members, MaltaToday Survey 50.9% 50.9% 50.2% 45% 45% 44.7% 39.5% 39.1% 39.1% 36.8% 34.8% 32.8% 30.4% 29.6% 25.3% JOSEPH MUSCAT Prime Minister George Vella Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo Education Minister Leo Brincat Environment minister Manuel Mallia Home Affairs Minister Chris Cardona Economy minister Helena Dalli Civil liberties minister Joe Mizzi Transport Minister Anton Refalo Gozo Minister Minister ratings: Cabinet in free- fall but Muscat keeps trust high Evarist Bartolo Edward Zammit Lewis Owen Bonnici Joseph Muscat Helena Dalli Konrad Mizzi Michael Farrugia George Vella Chris Cardona Manuel Mallia Edward Scicluna Louis Grech Anton Refalo Leo Brincat Joe Mizzi ONLINE • How PN and PL voters individually rate ministers and Joseph Muscat • www.maltatoday.com.mt