PN members’ poll: 10% voted Labour or abstained in 2017

A survey of paid-up PN members commissioned by friends of a candidate running for deputy leader, has revealed that a significant 8.3% of members voted Labour in the 2017 election.

The data, seen by this newspaper, shows that while 8.3% of the PN’s 15,000 card-carrying members voted Labour in 2017, another 2.1% declared they did not vote at all.

This would indicate that as many as 10% of the Nationalist Party membership did not translate their membership loyalty to a vote for the PN at the ballot boxes last June.

The survey revealed that a deputy leadership tandem of Robert Arrigo and David Agius seem to be the strongest combination, with hotelier Arrigo getting the approval of as many as 67% of paid-up members.

The respondents were also asked to rate the various institutions and national leaders following the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The media was rated positively in their coverage of the event and its aftermath (65%), while Opposition leader was rated positively by slightly less respondents (63%).

As expected the bottom rungs of the rating were occupied by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat (30%), and Commissioner of Police Lawrence Cutajar, who averaged an abysmally low 15%. This is possibly indicative of a general mistrust in the institutions, as well as misgivings on the PN’s own party leadership, which currently permeates across many loyalists.

The respondents were also asked to state the main challenge the PN is currently facing. 38% of paid-up members indicated party unity as the most challenging issue, followed by 17% who think “bridging the electoral gap with the PL” is the party’s major issue.

Another 8.5% list Joseph Muscat as the most serious challenge for the PN, and 7.3% said that PN party leader Adrian Delia is the PN’s major challenge.

Respondents also mentioned the “establishment” (13.8%), party credibility (7.3%) and lack of vision (9.7%) as other factors. The PN’s own dire party finances did not feature as much of a challenge for members, with just 2.6% making a mention.