CAIRO: Nearly 90 percent of Egyptians trust the country's ruling military council, according to an online poll conduced by the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS). Around 2,400 people across Egypt participated in the poll, titled, "Poll on Egyptian opinions towards political participation and parties." The poll was conducted in September across Egypt, except in border governorates. The poll revealed that 61 percent of Egyptians think the trial of former President Hosni Mubarak should continue, while 18 percent asked to pardon the country's three-decade ruler in return for handing his fortune over to the state. Another four percent said Mubarak should be acquitted. Egyptians consider economic burdens to be the most urgent issue. According to the poll, 41 percent of Egyptians listed economic issues as the most urgent, while an August poll found security issues at the top, with 28 percent. The poll also showed that the economic situation in Egypt is worse than it was before the January 25 Revolution that toppled Mubarak from power. Forty-nine percent of those polled were pessimistic about the economy, and 70 percent said the worst possible scenario is anarchy. Regarding the new parliamentary elections law, around 44 percent of Egyptians said the Law is suitable for this period. A majority – 65 percent – also said activating the Emergency Law is necessary to stop thuggery in Egypt, while the other 35 percent said Egypt's common law is sufficient. Regarding trust in officials, Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces received the highest score with 88 percent of participants saying they trust the council. Egypt's judiciary came in second with 70 percent. Trust that the military council will transfer power to a civilian authority has dropped slightly, from 99 to 94 percent. Around 65 percent of Egyptians say the society is ready for democracy. 47 percent of the ideological trends said they have no specific classification, but 45 percent classified themselves as Islamists. The Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party's program was the most favorable, appealing to 45 percent of Egyptians. Around 39 percent of those eligible to vote in upcoming elections said they will vote for the party. Nine percent will vote for the liberal al-Wafd Party, and an additional 55 percent were undecided. 90 percent will participate in political life and 72 percent say they will vote in the parliamentary elections. Amr Moussa tops the list of presidential candidates with 37 percent of participants in favor of him.
