Latest Gallup poll on Egypt

Some interesting findings – a strong desire for the military to hand over power to civilians and no further delays in elections, and a sizeable majority against the military being involved in politics after the handover. I feel that this is not emphasized enough: Egyptians seem to be clearly rejecting the last 60 years of military rule and not want to perpetuated the 1952 regime and its successors. Civilian rule is a real desire, even if there is still overwhelming respect for the military (which might be interpreted as no desire to really attack the military but just get it out of power, reflecting a cautious – perhaps wisely so – approach to this momentous change in Egyptian politics). Gallup:

LOS ANGELES -- As Egyptians mark the first anniversary of the revolution that toppled their last president, 82% believe that the military will relinquish power to a civilian government after they elect their next president.

Despite continued protests in Tahrir Square since former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's overthrow one year ago, 88% of Egyptians still express confidence in the military generally and 89% are confident in the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) specifically. Still, the majority (63%) think it would be bad for the military to remain involved in politics after the presidential election.

Slightly more than one in four Egyptians (27%) believe it is a good thing for the military to remain involved in politics after the presidential election. This suggests there is a sizable minority of Egyptians who see the military as a safety net in the nation's nascent journey with democracy.

Egyptians Universally Reject Any Further Election Delays

Nearly 9 in 10 Egyptians say delaying the presidential election, expected to take place before June 30, 2012, would be a bad thing for their country. This places significant pressure on the military leadership of the country to secure free, fair, and timely elections.

Update on 2012-01-27 14:02 by Issandr El Amrani

In addition to the above poll on the military also see their findings on voters' decision in the Egyptian parliamentary elections. They suggest that between September and November 2011 respondents became more inclined to vote for Islamist parties (Nour and FJP). This probably reflects the tiredness with protests that followed the July Tahrir sit-in and attempts to restart them in September, the September 9 raid on the Israeli embassy, and the Islamists parties campaigning efforts during and after Ramadan.

Also interesting are indications of a change of mind of people who were against FJP even as numbers for those against Nour remained steady between September and December – perhaps a sign that the FJP's strategy of presenting itself as the party of order and stability paid dividents.