MaltaToday Survey | Election after Easter please, though majority don’t care

Trying to read Robert Abela’s mind on when he intends calling a general election has been next to impossible even for people within the Labour Party.

But a survey carried out by MaltaToday shows that while for an absolute majority of people it makes no difference when an election is held, a relative majority believe it should happen after Easter.

Easter next year comes on 17 April and 30.2% of respondents believe the election should come afterwards. This would mean an election in May or June.

Holding the election before Easter is the least attractive option with 18.6% of respondents saying the Prime Minister should call it before April.

But an absolute majority, 51.2%, either cannot decide or the election date is of no relevance to them.

The figures suggest there is little appetite for an election and among those who have a strong opinion on when it should be held, it would seem the latest possible is the best choice.

The Labour administration’s five-year term ends in June 2022 and it is legally possible to hold the election at the very latest in September, although this is the unlikeliest scenario.

The Prime Minister has the prerogative to call an election whenever he wants.

The survey shows that the young (16-35) are almost evenly split on either side of Easter, while 49% are indifferent.

In this age group, 26.8% believe the election should be held after Easter, while 24.2% believe it should be held before.

The option to hold the election after Easter is the increasing choice the older the voters get.

Pensioners are the cohort with strongest belief that an election should be held after Easter (36.5%) but they are also the most indifferent (52.9%).

On a geographical basis, voters in Gozo are the most indifferent (74.2%) as to when an election should be held and the least likely to prefer it before Easter (6.6%).

Labour voters want it late

When analysed by political allegiance, those who voted for the Labour Party in 2017 are significantly more indifferent than Nationalist voters – 52% and 45.2% respectively.

However, while PN voters are evenly split as to when the election should be held with 28.1% saying it should happen before Easter and 26.8% after, Labourites are more likely to prefer a late election.

The survey shows that 33.9% of Labour voters believe the election should be held after Easter and 14% before.

The PL has consistently led the PN at the polls with significant margins over the past four years. This can explain the indifference among Labour supporters, who believe victory is assured irrespective of when an election is held.