Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Arafat Could Win PA Elections Again

September 22, 2004

(CPOD) Sept. 22, 2004 - Yasser Arafat stands a good chance of retaining his post as president of the Palestinian Authority, according to a poll by the Birzeit University Development Studies Programme. 46.2 per cent of respondents in the West Bank and Gaza Strip would vote for Arafat in the next election.

Arafat was elected on Jan. 20, 1996, garnering 88.2 per cent of the vote in a two-man contest. Current prime minister Ahmed Qorei took over from Mahmoud Abbas, who resigned on Sept. 6, 2003, after several rifts with Arafat.

Marwan Barghouti—who was recently convicted in an Israeli court for his alleged involvement in deadly attacks by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades— is second with 11.9 per cent, followed by Hamas political leader Mahmoud Zahar with 8.6 per cent.

A new election was scheduled for 2001, but never took place. There is currently no timetable for the next presidential ballot.

Polling Data

If the following candidates ran for president, who would you vote for?

 

All

West
Bank

Gaza
Strip

Yasser Arafat

46.2%

46.7%

45.4%

Marwan Barghouti

11.9%

13.0%

10.2%

Mahmoud Zahar

8.6%

9.2%

7.5%

Ismail Haniyeh

8.0%

5.0%

12.7%

Haidar Abdel Shafi

6.1%

5.1%

7.8%

Mustafa Barghouti

1.7%

1.8%

1.4%

Mohammed Dahlan

1.6%

0.8%

2.9%

Hanan Ashrawi

1.4%

1.7%

1.0%

Saeb Erekat

1.2%

1.5%

0.7%

Ahmed Qorei

1.0%

1.3%

0.5%

Mahmoud Abbas

0.5%

0.1%

1.1%

Others

0.5%

0.5%

0.5%

No one

11.3%

13.2%

8.3%

Source: Birzeit University Development Studies Programme
Methodology: Interviews to 1,204 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, conducted from Sept. 9 to Sept. 11, 2004. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Other poll highlights: Views on voter registration, different scenarios for presidential election, political group support.


Complete Poll (PDF)

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