67% disagree with MLP interpretation
PN leads with 49%; 88% think EU issue will dominate election campaign
Just days after the result of the referendum on European Union membership was announced last Sunday, and with the date for the general election fixed for April 12, The Sunday Times commissioned a poll to find out what voters think, among other things, on the way the Malta Labour Party leader has interpreted the result, and on voting intentions.
In the referendum, 53.6 per cent of valid votes were for Yes to EU membership and 46.4 per cent of valid votes said No. Dr Alfred Sant, however, immediately insisted that "only 48 per cent" of those whose names appear on the electoral register, published last October, had said Yes to EU membership, and that therefore his party's 'partnership' option had won the day.
The survey, carried out by Professor Mario Vassallo among 300 persons interviewed by telephone between last Tuesday and Thursday, found that 67% were not satisfied with the MLP's interpretation of the referendum result; 25.3% were satisfied, while 7.7% did not answer.
Asked to rate the credibility of Dr Fenech Adami and Dr Sant, 56.7% think the Prime Minister is more credible, while 23.3% think the Opposition Leader is more credible; 20% rate them both equally credible.
Just over half the respondents - 50.7% - said the main issue of the general election should be EU membership; 44.7% said it should not, while 4.7% did not give an opinion.
The participants were then asked which issues, in their view, were bound to feature in the electoral campaign. The vast majority of respondents - 88% - felt the EU issue would dominate the election campaign; this was followed far behind by education and social policy, which received 12% each. Environment rated 8.7%, roads 5.3% and the cost of living 2%.
As for voting intentions in the April 12 general election, 49% said they would vote Nationalist, 23.3 per cent said they would vote Labour, while 23% did not want to tell how they would vote. Alternattiva Demokratika was the choice of 1% of respondents, while 3.7% said they intended to abstain.
The survey also asked whether the Nationalist government gave attention to the needs of Malta as a whole, to respondents' personal needs, and to the respondents' own work sector.
Asked to comment on the survey results, Professor Vassallo said: "In the build-up to the general elections, many are asking what the main issues on which the election is going to be fought and won are going to be. This study clearly suggests that the EU is definitely going to feature very prominently during the coming days.
"But in Maltese politics unknowns and uncertainties seem to take over from logic. Disagreement on the way the MLP interpreted the referendum results is not reflected in a loss in popular support for that party.
"As in the case of the referendum, most if not all of those who would not tell would probably vote for the MLP. As such, although the elections are still relatively far off, most voters appear to be already aligned, and the election results might easily end up being a carbon copy of the referendum results, even though the turnout could go up to what is normally the case in general elections in Malta."