RAMALLAH, November 29, 2011 (WAFA) – Preliminary findings of an opinion poll conducted by the of Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) published on Tuesday showed that the majority of Palestinians believe that Salam Fayyad should be retained as Prime Minister in a unity government.
The results showed that about 57% of Palestinians; 40% in the Gaza Strip and 28% in the West Bank, supported Fayyad to be the next prime minister. About 11% responded 'don‘t know'; 4% in Gaza and 15% in the West Bank.
The poll, which was conducted over a sample of 1,200 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza between November 22 and 24, when President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal were meeting in Cairo to discuss issues including new elections and the leadership of a unity government.
“Support for maintaining Fayyad as head of government comes from across all socio-economic backgrounds with an equal percentage of male and female respondents supporting his remaining in office,” said AWRAD.
The poll results indicated that the majority of employees in the NGO sector support Fayyad’s reappointment, as do 60% of government employees and 54%of private sector employees.
Fayyad‘s continued premiership is supported by 78% of respondents who back Fatah, 62% of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), 56% of Mubadara, and 53% of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
In contrast, only 16% of Hamas supporters and 20% of Islamic Jihad supporters support Fayyad, added AWRAD.
Half of the respondents who fall into the 'undecided' category also support extending Fayyad‘s term, said the poll results.
“Support for the reappointment of Fayyad comes at time when the government in the West Bank is seen as outperforming the government of Ismael Haniyah in Gaza on a number of fronts, including respect for human rights and freedom of speech, and adherence to democratic practices,” said AWRAD.
While a majority of respondents believe that corruption continues to plague government institutions in both the West Bank and Gaza, 63% of respondents continue to have a positive opinion of Fayyad as a leader.
AWRAD said it will publish the full results of the poll in early December.
R.Q./F.R.
