Yasser Arafat's popularity has been declining amid growing dissatisfaction with his regime, but no other Palestinian can muster enough support to pose a serious challenge to the Palestinian leader, according an opinion poll published Tuesday.
The survey also showed that there is overwhelming support among Palestinians for reforms, including firing corrupt Cabinet ministers, streamlining rival security services into one force and holding elections within the coming months.
The study was conducted between May 15-18 by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, an independent think tank, with 1,317 adults interviewed face-to-face. According to its results, Arafat has the support of 35 percent of Palestinians, compared to 46 percent in July 2000, before the outbreak the intifada, and 36 percent in December 2001.
Marwan Barghouthi, the chief of Fatah movement in the West Bank, came in second, with 19 percent. Israeli security forces last month captured Barghouthi on suspicion he financed and coordinated attacks against Israel. In December, Barghouthi's approval rating stood at 11 percent.
Pollster Khalil Shkaki told AP that for the past eight months, Arafat's popularity as leader has been lower than every before in his four-decade career. "The belief in the street is that he is not projecting leadership, that it is not clear what he wants," Shkaki said. "He has failed on two challenges, ending (Israeli) occupation and building a democratic state."
Yet there is no real challenger to Arafat, and there won't be as long as the conflict with Israel continues, Shkaki added. "He (Arafat) will continue to be seen as the embodiment of aspirations of ending occupation. As long as Arafat lives, there will be no second man."
According to Shkaki, 95 percent of respondents support the idea of firing Cabinet ministers suspected of corruption, 85 percent back the unification of the security services and 92 percent want Arafat to sign the Basic Law, a type of constitution, passed by parliament several years ago. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
