CAIRO - More than three in every four Egyptians (78 per cent) have said that they want the country's former president Hosni Mubarak brought to justice, a new poll has revealed. Around 83 per cent of the Arab world said they supported the protests calling for Mubarak's resignation while 11 per cent of Egyptians said they participated in the anti-Government demonstrations, according to a new survey from the Abu Dhabi Gallup Centre. “Gallup's research into post-revolution Egypt shows that most Egyptians want to see their former ruler brought to justice,” Dalia Mogahed, Abu Dhabi Gallup Centre director and senior analyst, said in a statement. The Gallup report, entitled Egypt from Tahrir to Transition, said Egyptians' confidence in their political system surged after the 18-day revolution which forced Mubarak to resign on February 11. But many said they remained concerned about lack of jobs and the increase in crime. General life satisfaction amongst Egyptians declined from 4.4 (ranked on a scale of 0-ten) in the autumn to 3.9 currently. But in five years time the average Egyptian said they expected their lives to improve to around 5.7 on the scale. “This wider gap between their assessments of today and their hopes for tomorrow reflect an optimism Egyptians have lacked for several years,” said the report. The report also revealed a renewed optimism in their country's future with more Egyptians saying they would like to continue to live in their country compared to many who expressed a desire to leave between 2008 and 2010. In addition to concerns about affordable housing and quality healthcare, satisfaction with the local Government at a community level is also lacking, said Gallup. The percentage of Egyptians who said they approved of the leadership in their city or area declined to 28 per cent from 47 per cent two years earlier. “This finding is perhaps not a surprise as most local governments were appointed by a now-discredited regime,” said the report. Gallup said it interviewed approximately 1,044 Egyptian adults from June 10 to June 17, 2011. The margin of error or confidence level in the data is 95 per cent, Gallup said. Mubarak on Wednesday was wheeled into court in his hospital bed and charged with conspiracy to kill some of the protesters who drove him from office in February. The 83-year-old former president denied all the charges, which could carry the death penalty. The prosecutor said Mubarak “had the intention to kill” peaceful protesters during demonstrations and the previous decade. He accused Mubarak of allowing former Interior Minister Habib el-Adli to use live amunition on protesters, and also charged him with corruption and wasting public funds. Around 850 people were killed during the unrest. The judge trying Mubarak said the court would reconvene on August 15.
