Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

Some Arab Nations Mistrust Election Authorities

A majority of people in Egypt and Morocco believe their democratic processes are unfair, according to a poll by the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES). 59 per cent of respondents in Egypt and 58 per cent in Morocco think the authorities that oversee their elections are neither trusted nor impartial. Conversely, 32 per cent of respondents in Jordan and Lebanon express

Facebook Digg Yahoo Del.icio.us reddit StumbleUpon Mixx Google

A majority of people in Egypt and Morocco believe their democratic processes are unfair, according to a poll by the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES). 59 per cent of respondents in Egypt and 58 per cent in Morocco think the authorities that oversee their elections are neither trusted nor impartial.

Conversely, 32 per cent of respondents in Jordan and Lebanon express confidence in their electoral authorities. Jordan is the only one of the four countries surveyed where more respondents have a positive, rather than negative, view.

Hosni Mubarak took over as president of Egypt following the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981, and instituted an emergency law which forbids unlicensed public gatherings and limits the activities of opposition movements. Mubarak would earn re-election in 1987, 1993, and 1999. In those three ballots, the president was nominated by the People’s Assembly and ratified in a nationwide referendum.

In May 2005, Egyptian voters approved a constitutional amendment in a plebiscite to allow an unprecedented multi-candidate presidential election. Mubarak was re-elected again in 2005, in a ballot that was scheduled hastily, leaving many voters unregistered.

Since July 1999, King Mohammed VI has ruled Morocco. The monarch authorized the release of several political prisoners, and permitted the operation of moderate Islamic political parties. Moroccans are expected to take part in a legislative election in September.

King Abdullah II has been Jordan’s ruler since 1999. In February 2003, the King decided to add six parliamentary seats to be occupied exclusively by women. A new election to the Assembly of Deputies is expected to take place in June.

Lebanese voters renewed the Assembly of Representatives in 2005. In June, Fuad Siniora—a former finance minister—was appointed as Lebanon’s new prime minister. Polling Data

Do you agree or disagree? - The authority that oversees elections is trusted and impartial.

	EGY	JOR	LEB	MOR
Agree	20%	32%	32%	16%
Disagree	59%	25%	42%	58%
Neutral	17%	26%	19%	9%
No reply	4%	17%	7%	7%

Source: International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES)
Methodology: Interviews with 800 Egyptian adults, 400 Jordanian adults, 400 Lebanese adults and 800 Moroccan adults, conducted from April 2005 to September 2006. No margin of error was provided.

Complete Report (PDF)