Via Clarion Project:
A new Pew poll indicates that the protests in Egypt against the country’s Muslim Brotherhood-led government — specifically against President Morsi — may have given an exaggerated picture of the opposition’s strength.
The poll found that 53% of Egyptians view Morsi positively, a slight increase from the 51.7% who voted for him in the presidential election.
Yet only 43% disapprove of Morsi’s performance. This means that quite a number of people who voted against him in the election don’t disapprove of his performance as president.
Moreover, even though 43% disapprove of Morsi’s performance as president, it doesn’t mean that 43% of Egyptians are secular and democratic. Some of the disapproving respondents are hardline Salafists upset with Morsi for not implementing stricter Sharia.
A large number of Egyptians appear to have fallen for the myth that Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Freedom and Justice Party (the Brotherhood’s political party) are all separate. The poll shows that 53% support Morsi, 52% approve of the Freedom and Justice Party, yet 63% approve of the Muslim Brotherhood. This means that at least 10% of Egyptians are judging Morsi independently of the Brotherhood.
The Muslim Brotherhood remains, by far, the most popular party. The National Salvation Front, a coalition of secularist groups, only has an approval rating of 45%, a mere five points greater than the Salafist Al-Nour Party.
President Morsi also remains the most popular political leader. His closest rival is Hamdeen Sabahi, a ferociously anti-American secularist, with a 48% positive rating. Ahmed Shafiq, Morsi’s opponent in the presidential election, won 48% of the vote but his approval rating is down to 45%. Mohammed El-Baradei is looked upon favorably by 40% of Egyptians.