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Poll: 69% Reject
Lahoud, 90% Reject Syria Naming Presidents
A public opinion poll published Tuesday shows
that 69% of the Lebanese oppose an extension or renewal of (Syrian
Appointed Lebanese) President Lahoud's term in office and 90% reject the
concept of Syria appointing the president of Lebanon.
The poll was conducted by the Beirut weekly
Ash Shiraa, whose three consecutive polls in 1998 convinced the late
Syrian President Hafez Assad to back then Army commanding Gen. Emile
Lahoud for Lebanon's top post, An Nahar noted.
Ash Shiraa's new poll covered 1,000 Lebanese,
550 Muslims and 450 Christians from various walks of life across Lebanon.
Rejecters of Syria appointing Lebanon's president were 92% Sunnis, 78%
Shiites, 100 % Druze, 97% Maronites and 96% Christians in general, An
Nahar noted.
Fifty-six percent of those polled rejected the regime's contention that
Syria's presence in Lebanon was 'legitimate and provisional,' with 40%
supporting that concept.
As for the favorites for the presidency, 26%
supported parliament member Nassib Lahoud, 12% rallied behind legislator
Butros Harb and 10% were for Suleiman Franjieh.
What was particularly interesting in Ash
Shiraa's poll is that 63% of the Christians, 77% of them Maronites,
supported a change of the system to have the president elected by direct
public vote provided all the runners are Maronite, An Nahar said. |
