Major parties talk winning disengaged voters as surveys show rising abstention rates

Representatives from the Labour and Nationalist parties admitted that the two parties are facing increased pressure to stay relevant with the electorate.

Speaking on TVM’s Xtra, Labour minister Owen Bonnici said that the Labour Party is listening to the electorate but must appeal to the large segment of undecided voters.

"These survey results are like a weather report, a snapshot of a particular day. While they do not dictate politics, they provide valuable insight. The Labour Party has taken the necessary lessons from these numbers and is committed to keeping close to the people," Bonnici said.

Nationalist MP Adrian Delia said he's concerned that, despite dissatisfaction with the Labour government, voters who have abandoned Labour are not shifting their support to the Nationalist Party.

"The biggest question for us as the PN is: why aren’t they coming to us? We can’t just comfort ourselves by saying we have improved. If an election were held today, it wouldn’t be enough," Delia said.

Labour Party president Alex Sciberras echoed Bonnici’s assessment, arguing that political fatigue is a reality for any long-serving government. However, he pointed to survey trends that indicate a shift back towards Labour.

"A year ago, MaltaToday surveys showed a Nationalist Party lead for the first time in a long time. Today, they show a Labour lead. This means that, despite any fatigue, the government is managing to regain trust," Sciberras said.

Sciberras also took aim at the PN’s political discourse, arguing that its aggressive language alienates voters. “We are seeing MPs claim that the government wants to kill whoever it wants, that it is a criminal organisation. This is not the language people want to hear.”

However PN MP Rebekah Borg also criticised the government's political rhetoric. “When I hear Alex speak about how we communicate, I immediately think of the Prime Minister’s last speech, an hour-long attack. That is not what young people care about, and that is the reality.”

Asked about younger voters, and whether the PN is attracting them, Borg said she feel that the political rhetoric is failing to reach them.

"This is not about ideology, young people have different opinions, but many are simply disengaged. The way we communicate needs to change. Both parties must be more transparent, more relatable, and stop using tired political language," she said.

With elections looming, both major parties are confronted with the challenge of engaging the growing number of undecided voters, with surveys suggesting that the political landscape remains in flux.

Bonnici highlighted this challenge, stressing the need for both major parties to remain relevant to the expanding pool of undecided voters.

“There is a white box, a large section of voters who traditionally voted for either PL or PN but are now in between. Our duty as political parties is to remain relevant to them.”

Meanwhile, Delia expressed surprise that despite a significant exodus of voters dissatisfied with the Labour government, they have not migrated to the PN. He emphasised that both parties must understand what undecided voters want in order to attract them in time for the election.

Adding to this sentiment, Sciberras warned that undecided voters, who make up a substantial portion of the electorate, are looking for political parties that listen to them.

“These 25% who are undecided or uninterested are looking at us and asking, ‘Are you speaking to us? Are you ready to understand us?’”