A survey published by MaltaToday on Sunday showed that the Labour Party has managed to claw back lost ground as it moved ahead of the Nationalist Party by 11,613 votes.

The four-point lead reverses the one-point deficit the PL had in November's survey when it trailed the PN. The current survey is based on a projected turnout of 75.5%, MaltaToday said.

The survey gives the PL a relative majority of 48.2% against the PN's 43.9%. But despite recovering support, the PL's strength remains significantly lower than its 2022 general election performance when it obtained an absolute majority and a 39,000-vote lead.

The survey coincided with increased political tension over a reform of magisterial inquiries and the receipt of the first pay cheques and benefits that reflected the budget tax cut and higher social outlays, including pensions.

The survey suggests that Labour has not been penalised by the ongoing controversy over a reform of magisterial inquiries, even if the party's support remains substantially lower than its 2022 general election score of 55.1%.

Compared to the last MaltaToday survey held in November, immediately after the budget, the PL has gained 2.9 points and the PN has lost 2.4 points.

The survey also shows that Momentum, a new party launched only last month by Arnold Cassola and a team of activists, is already leaving its mark on the political scene. The centrist formation scored 4%, slightly higher than ADPD which retains most of its support. Collectively, the two parties command the support of over 7% of voters.

The MaltaToday survey also confirms the unpopularity of PN leader Bernard Grech, who now trails Robert Abela by a staggering 22 points up from 18 points in November. Moreover, in another indication of the post budget feel-good factor, respondents gave the government a satisfactory rating of 2.9 out of 5, up from 2.7 in November.