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James Debono
Lawrence Gonzi remains the most trusted political leader among respondents in MaltaToday’s October survey, but Labour leader Alfred Sant emerges as their preferred choice for the post of Prime Minister in the next elections.
Alfred Sant has managed to narrow the trust gap which separated the two leaders since the start of the MaltaToday survey from 6.1 per cent in September to a sheer 1.4 per cent this month.
The MaltaToday survey comes in the wake of Lawrence Gonzi’s rallying call to the party faithful during a mass meeting held on the eve of Independence Day. The central theme of his speech was that the country is back on the right track.
But asked whether respondents believed the Prime Minister when saying the country was heading towards the right direction, 55 per cent replied no. This includes a substantial 19.5 per cent of those intending to vote for the PN in the next election.
On the other hand Alfred Sant, who has been relatively silent during the past months, is emerging as a serious contender for the post of Prime Minister. 31.6 per cent said they preferred Gonzi as prime minister for the next elections, but 32.7per cent said they would prefer Sant. This could be an indication that personal trust is not the only consideration of respondents.
The trust factor could be overridden by a perceived need for a change in government. With the incumbent party facing the electorate after two decades in government, more people could opt for Labour irrespectively of whether they have trust in the opposition leader.
But Sant is also managing to win the trust of a greater number of respondents. The Labour leader who has trailed the Prime Minister for the past year, manages to score his best ever trust rating, increasing from 23.9 per cent to 32.2 per cent, an increase of 8.3 per cent.
Gonzi has also increased his trust rating by two points as the number of undecided respondents and those preferring nobody from Labour or the PN has decreased.
Green Party chairman Harry Vassallo has also seen his best trust rating during the past year.
But the electoral fortunes of the two political leaders now hinge on the whims of the large number of respondents – 23.9 per cent – who insist that do not have any preference between the two contenders for the post of Prime Minister.
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
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