Whether the initial showing of new political party Azzjoni Nazzjonali (AN) is more a statistical incongruency or physical reality is a moot point, but AN has certainly got off to an acceptable start with the Maltese electorate. According to the latest survey for The Sunday Times, one in every 16 voters would be prepared to give it their vote, which is more than twice the current support of the third political party, Alternattiva Demokratika.

There is certainly a vacuum on the right of the local political spectrum, with the two main parties standing more towards the left and sometimes - in international political terms, at least - even switching roles in the positions they adopt. So AN is clearly capitalising on this point. Yet, ultimately, it is issues that win elections more than (if not as much as) personalities.

So, it is significant to see just how the electorate reacted to the five cardinal principles AN enunciated when it was launched. Four of these issues appear to have hit a nerve, with a high proportion of voters expressing their support: 76% support "control of illegal migration, allowing only one-month stay in Malta"; a whopping 94% support "control of social services to avoid them becoming an easy option"; a just as impressive 87.3% support the "re-enforcement of traditional family values"; and a little more than two-thirds of voters (68%) support the "right to private initiative and property ownership".

One may argue that it is easy to produce (and word) general statements of principle to obtain public support; the harder part is to translate these principles into a workable political platform and a manifesto that will make the new party electable, given Malta's electoral system that favours the two main parties. So, the fact that a fifth cardinal principle - "in favour of hunting and trapping" - obtained 32% of public support is, as Professor Mario Vassallo commented, an indication of the electorate's sophistication.

It could also be an indication to all the political parties on the importance of the environment issue, which even according to a separate question in the survey, is the fourth most important national issue to the electorate.

This latest opinion survey contains significant lessons for both of the main political parties. The government party needs to attack its credibility record, with the main opposition Labour Party being more persuasive by quite a margin: 55.3% for the MLP as opposed to 39.3% for the PN. In particular, the PN needs to reach out to the middle class that is its bedrock, for the MLP, which is attracting 56% of the electorate, is a full 16% ahead of the PN.

Although one may argue that it is easier to persuade when you are in opposition, reaching out to the nostalgic (over 65s) and those who do not remember a Labour government (16-25s), the PN carries the baggage of almost 20 years of government. No longer can it blame anything on Labour, with its 18-month stint from 1996 and the earlier 16-year stint that ended in 1986.

It is interesting to see the issues that concern the electorate most are bread-and-butter ones - "it's the economy, stupid", as Bill Clinton said famously in defeating George Bush Snr. Despite the greater stability in world fuel prices, it is the water and electricity bills that are considered by the largest number of people (52.7%) as being the most important.

This is followed by the economy/national debt (52.3%), the cost of living because of the euro (45%) and the environment (30.7%). It is interesting to note that after these issues, there are others like roads, divorce and foreign policy, which also matter to some degree or other.

With the general election campaign still yet to be officially initiated, voting intentions are merely indicative of what the hard-core supporters intend to do. A third of the electorate (34.3%) said they intend to vote Labour at the next election, a quarter (25.7%) will vote Nationalist and, significantly, 23% are undecided and eight per cent intending to abstain.

Clearly, as we head into the summer holiday, it is the 2008 Budget that will set the tone for the election campaign, followed by the preparation of the various electoral manifestos - with everything to be gained (or lost) by election day.