The electorate seems to be split right down the middle over whether the Nationalists' defeat at the local council elections will be reflected in the general election, if one goes by the results of an online poll by The Times.

Just over half of the respondents (52.3 per cent) believe the PN's days in power are numbered, with the remainder feeling the Nationalists can win the big battle after a series of losses at local and MEP levels.

Several respondents said it will be difficult for the PN to overturn the 10 per cent deficit with the Labour Party, evident in the last three elections.

"It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to close such a huge gap. Only internal trouble could cost Labour the next election," one respondent noted.

It is too late in the day for the Nationalist government to regain the lost ground by showering incentives and tax concessions in the coming election budget, another respondent argued.

The spiralling cost of living, the environment, hunting, unemployment and unrestrained construction works are burning issues that just cannot be solved in a few months.

It was high time the PN heeds the growing chorus of environmentalists who are prepared to abstain from voting or opt for Alternattiva Demokratika in the coming election, especially because of the hunting issue, some respondents said.

Many were those who said they had no choice but to vote for the PN, arguing that the MLP presented no alternative.

On a local level, people are expressing a desire for change that they cannot afford when it comes to national issues, one respondent said.

"The majority of the electorate does not have a safe and feasible alternative to a Nationalist government so long as Alfred Sant stays on as MLP leader," he added.

Some individuals professed they had not bothered to vote in the local elections, but would cast their preference on election day. Others said they stayed home in protest.

"I think a lot of voters wanted to send a warning to the PN - shape up or ship out," said one respondent.

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