CAIRO: Eighty-eight percent of Egyptians think the upcoming presidential election will be fair and honest, with only 6 percent disagreeing, according to a poll released Thursday. The survey was taken in mid-December, after the first rounds of parliament elections by the highly respected Gallup group. The sample group consisted of 1,077 Egyptians, aged 15 and older. The poll reveals Egyptians are more optimistic about the democratic process than they were in September, when only 75 percent said they believed presidential elections would be fair and transparent. In the December questionnaire, when asked the question, “Do you, yourself, plan to vote in the upcoming presidential election, or not?” 86 percent of Egyptians answered “yes” and 12 percent answered “no.” This voter confidence and intended participation suggests a positive outlook on the Egyptian democratic process. Although 86 percent plan to vote in the presidential race, 55 percent of Egyptians do not know which candidate they will vote for. When asked about what candidate the voters support, answers varied. Egyptians most frequently said they would vote for the former Arab League secretary general, Amr Moussa. Although answered most often, voters only named Moussa 17 percent of the time. Three percent of the time, Egyptians said they would vote for the short-lived vice president under Mubarak, and former intelligence service head, Omar Suleiman. Likewise, Egyptian constitutional lawyer and reform-oriented Islamist, Mohamed Selim Al-Awa was also answered 3 percent of the time. Head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi and 1999 Nobel Prize winner Ahmed Zewail were named 2 percent of the time by prospective voters. With the presidential elections months away, it is not surprising Egyptian voters are not set on one particular candidate yet. It wasn't until some weeks before the polls opened for parliamentary elections that Egyptians had made up their minds on who to vote for. Gallup notes this fact and reports, “It is possible that Egyptians are similarly waiting to hear from presidential candidates and assess their platforms more clearly as voting day nears.” The survey group predicts increased support for a particular presidential candidate will arise only closer to election time. Voters' support will rely heavily on the campaigns, the public conversation and the candidates themselves. The Gallup study finds that even though Egyptian confidence in the electoral process is quite high, optimism is lower now than it was last spring. In an April Gallup survey, 91 percent of Egyptians claimed they were confident in the fairness and transparency of a presidential election. Egyptian voters might be able to practice their civic duty one month sooner than expected. Earlier this week, state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported Mohamed Attiya, the minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Local Development, said the presidential elections are now scheduled to take place one at the end of May instead of June.
