Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Algerian Refugee Case Sways New Zealanders

August 26, 2003

(CPOD) Aug. 26, 2003 - The case of asylum-seeker Ahmed Zaoui continues to divide New Zealanders, according to a poll by DigiPoll published in the New Zealand Herald. 50 per cent of respondents disagree with a decision to allow the Algerian national to remain in the country.

Zaoui is an elected member of the Algerian parliament who was never allowed to serve after a 1992 coup. Last December, Zaoui traveled to New Zealand with false documents, and has been held in solitary confinement at a maximum-security prison ever since.

The Refugee Status Appeals Authority recently accepted Zaoui's his bid to remain in the country. Immigration Minister Lianne Dalziel will have the final say on his asylum petition.

Polling Data

Do you agree with the Refugee Status Appeals Authority's decision to allow Ahmed Zaoui to remain in New Zealand?

Yes

25%

No

50%


Source: DigiPoll / New Zealand Herald
Methodology: Interviews to 801 New Zealand residents, conducted from Aug. 12 to Aug. 17, 2003. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.

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