Lebanonwire.com | Aoun the people’s choice for president: Study

Top Banner

October 11, 2005

Aoun the people’s choice for president: Study

BEIRUT, Lebanon, October 11 (Lebanonwire) -- After a five-day survey the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies performed last September, the majority of 800 randomly-picked respondents, representing different sects from all across the country, chose General Michel Aoun as the clear candidate to become Lebanon’s next president, As Safir daily published today.

As the UN report on the Rafik Hariri murder is about to be released with obvious repercussions on Lebanon, Syria and the region, Aoun was by far the favorite choice among other candidates to replace President Emile Lahoud, whose remaining two-year mandate could be cut short, if the probe implicates him directly or even indirectly.

In fact, 55.1% of those surveyed wanted Lahoud to resign and 26.2% of them chose Aoun over Batroun MP Butros Harb who received 15.6%. Metn MP Nassib Lahoud got 9.6%, followed by LF leader Samir Geagea in fourth place with 5.5%, then former Interior Minister Suleiman Franjieh (4.5%), former Foreign Minister Jean Obeid (3.7%), Beirut MP Ghattas Khoury (2.6%), Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh (2.3%), Western Beqaa MP Robert Ghanem (1.3%) and finally former President Amine Gemayel (1.2%).

It is noteworthy that 26.6% did not have a candidate in mind. The random sample of people also voiced their opinion regarding six other questions, including whether they trusted the work of the UN investigative team in the Hariri murder, and who they thought was responsible for the assassination.

The majority (71.3%) said they trusted the UN probe team, while the remaining 28.7% said they didn’t. 8.2% thought Syria alone was behind the murder with the US alone second with 6.2%, then Syria in collaboration with other local or international parties with 5.8%, then America and Israel together with 3.8%, then Israel alone with 3.8% and Iran came last with 2%. More than 30% said they didn’t know who was behind the crime.

As for who would they prefer as Prime Minister should a new president take the helm, 30.9% nodded their approval for current Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, while former Premier Najib Mikati got 19.4% and Saad Hariri received 19.2%, then former Premier Salim Hoss (5.8%), former premier Omar Karame (3%), current Transportation Minister Mohamad Safadi (1.2%) and last came businessman Fouad Makhzoumi with 1%. 19.5% said they had no specific person in mind for the next Prime Minister post.