Strong majority of people still backing Labour, Joseph Muscat says

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that a strong majority of people were still backing the Labour Party despite having had every opportunity to abandon it in the last few months.

"I am glad that a strong majority continues to say that my leadership brought good change in their lives. This remains our aim. A strong majority is still backing the Labour party when they had every opportunity to abandon it in the last few months. If people wanted an excuse to abandon the party, it was now," Muscat said.

Speaking during an ONE Radio interview, the outgoing Prime Minister quoted a survey which was published on Labour newspaper KulHadd on Sunday which was carried out by statistician Vince Marmara. 53.8% of respondents said that Muscat had made a positive impact on their life. 39.9% said that this wasn’t the case.

"If an election takes place tomorrow, Labour will win with the majority it had in 2017," Muscat said.

46.5% of respondents to a Torca survey published on 1 December had said that they wanted Muscat to stay on as Prime Minister while 32.4% had said that Muscat should step down. 

MaltaToday has held its own surveys since last October and these have shown a four-point decline for Labour and a six-point climb for the PN. 

Muscat eventually announced his resignation in December but decided to stay on as Prime Minister until 12 January when either of the two contestants, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne or Labour MP Robert Abela, would take his place.

"I am serene because both Robert Abela and Chris Fearne have the capability to keep Malta moving forward. On Friday, I will be delivering my last speech and I will talk about the future: where I want Malta to head and where I will be heading," Muscat said.

He added that he would be behind the next Prime Minister to help when needed but to also keep his distance when required.