Report shows that most Egyptians oppose Morsi's removal

A report from the Egyptian Centre for Media Studies and Public Opinion has revealed that most people in Egypt are opposed to the removal of President Mohammed Morsi from office. Only 26 per cent support the coup, with 63 per cent against it; 11 per cent of respondents did not give an opinion.

The questionnaire was based on a random sample of the Egyptian public. The Integration Egypt website said that the questionnaire’s credibility rate is more than 95 per cent.

The report’s authors said that the number of people who appeared to be anti-military coup is similar to the number who backed the Constitution in the referendum held last year. This suggests, says the report, that Morsi’s support in the country has not been affected negatively by media propaganda. The dominant pro-coup media claim that most Egyptians support Morsi’s removal.

Commenting on the demographic distribution of the pro- and anti Morsi camps, the centre said that those who are pro-coup tend to live in Greater Cairo. In Upper Egypt, the figure against the coup rises to 83 per cent, but in Cairo it is just over half, at 52.8 per cent.

Of those who still support Morsi, 91 per cent say that the coup is an attempt to eradicate the “Islamic political project”; 86 per cent believe that he is still the country’s legal president, regardless of his political or religious background. Sixty-nine percent support Morsi because they do not want a return of the Mubarak regime in all but name; 57 per cent are opposed to military rule.

Those who are pro-coup appear to be divided in their reasoning. Sixty-six per cent wanted to overthrow the president in order to “regain” the civilian identity of Egypt, whereas 45 per cent backed the coup because they support military rule.