Nearly 40 per cent of those who voted for the Nationalist Party in last year's general election doubt that party leader Simon Busuttil has what it takes to become prime minister, a survey commissioned by The Malta Independent on Sunday shows.
In the December edition of the iSurvey, just over a third of the 300 respondents - 33.7 per cent - agreed that Dr Busuttil was prime ministerial material.
People's political affiliation clearly played a role, with the vast majority of those who voted for the Labour Party in last year's general election spreading doubt on Dr Busuttil's credentials. In fact, just 14.9 per cent of PL voters believed that Dr Busuttil has what it takes to become prime minister, compared to 85.1 per cent who don't.
The fact that the proportion of declared Labour voters to PN voters was somewhat higher than in the general election may have had an impact on the final breakdown of results, but it would not be enough to shift the balance. Another factor is that while most PL voters readily dismiss Dr Busuttil, PN voters are considerably more divided.
As it turns out, 39.7 per cent of the PN voters surveyed believed that Dr Busuttil did not yet have what it takes to become prime minister. While the 60.3 per cent who still constitute a clear majority, it may be the case that Dr Busuttil needs to do more to convince his own party's voters of his credentials.
A substantial proportion of people also refused to state who they voted for in the last general election; they were almost evenly split in their opinion of Dr Busuttil, with 47.1 per cent stating that they believed he has what it takes.
Curiously, there is a considerable difference between men and women, with the latter considerably more likely to put their faith in Dr Busuttil. While just 26.8 per cent of male respondents said that Dr Busuttil has what it takes to become prime minister, 40.4 per cent of women reached the same verdict.
The proportion of people who believe that Dr Busuttil has got the necessary credentials rises with age, the survey shows. While only 20.5 per cent of those aged 18-24 and 25-34 said that he has what it takes to become prime minister, 40.9 per cent of those aged 60 and over agreed.