Country Profile
Libya is a country in North Africa.After independence, Libya was divided into 3 governorates and then in 1963 into 10 governorates.The governorates were legally abolished in February 1975, and nine "control bureaus" were set up to deal directly with the nine areas, respectively: education, health, housing, social services, labor, agricultural services, communications, financial services, and economy, each under their own ministry.In 1983 Libya was split into 46 districts , then in 1987 into 25. In 1995, Libya was divided into13 districts, in 1998 into 26 districts, and in 2001 into 32 districts. These were then further rearranged into 22 districts in 2007.
Capital Tripoli
Currency Dinar
Official Language Libyan Arabic
Population 0.6 Million(2011 Estimate)
Flag of Libya
History
The country is currently governed by the National Transitional Council that emerged from the rebellion and has pledged to turn Libya into a pluralist, democratic state.(after Gadaffi's government was brought to an end in Oct 2011 by a six-month uprising and ensuing civil war).Mustafa Abdul Jalil presides over the National Transitional Council, which took control following the popular uprising that ended Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year-long rule.
Abdurrahim Al-Keib was elected as Prime Minister of the NTC's interim government on 31 October 2011 after the resignation of his predecessor, Mahmoud Jibril
Until his ouster in 2011, Muammar Gaddafi had been the Arab world's longest-serving leader.Muammar Gaddafiwas captured by rebel fighters on Oct 20 2011 in his hometown of Sirte, several weeks after going into hiding. He was shot dead soon after, amid conflicting reports about the exact circumstances.
2011 Libyan Civil War or Libyan Revolution
- The Libyan Civil War also referred to as the Libyan Revolution, was an armed conflict fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his Govt.
- The Civil War was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on Tuesday Feb 15, 2011, which led to clashes with security forces that fired on the crowd .The protests escalated into a rebellion that spread across the country,with the forces opposing Gaddafi establishing an interim governing body, theNational Transitional Council(NTC)
- On Feb 26,2011 UN Security Council passed a resolution freezing the assets of Gaddafi and his inner circle and restricting their travel, and referred the matter to theICCfor investigation.
- Throughout the conflict, rebels rejected government offers of a ceasefire and efforts by theAfrican Union(AU) to end the fighting because the plans set forth did not include the removal of Gaddafi.
- On Sep 16, 2011, the National Transitional Council was recognised by the UN as the legal representative of Libya, replacing the Mummar Gadaffi Govt.
- Mummar Gaddafi was captured by rebel fighters on Oct 20, 2011 in his hometown of Sirte, several weeks after going into hiding. He was shot dead soon after, amid conflicting reports about the exact circumstances.
- The National Transitional Council "declared the liberation of Libya" and the official end of the war on Oct 23, 2011
Col Gaddafi came to power by overthrowing King Idris in a coup in 1969.
Oil was discovered in 1959 and made the state - then a kingdom ruled by the head of the Senussi sufi order - wealthy.
On 24 December 1951, Libya declared its independence as the United Kingdom of Libya a constitutional and hereditary under King Idris,Libya's first and only monarch.
Libyan Vote in Historic Election(1st free election for more than 50 years) - Saturday July 07,2012
On July 7, 2012, Libyans will vote in their first parliamentary elections since the end of the dictatorship of Moammar Gadhafi. The election, in which more than 100 political parties have registered, will form an interim 200-member national assembly. This will replace the unelected National Transitional Council, name a prime minister, and form a committee to draft a constitution.
- 2.9 million registered voters from around 3-3.5 million eligible (45% women)
- 2,639 individual candidates (competing for 120 seats in 69 constituencies)
- 374 party lists from more than 100 political entities (competing for 80 party seats in 20 constituencies)
- 559 women registered for party seats (44%)
- 88 women registered for individual seats (3%)
However,the vote has been overshadowed by violence and deep regional divisions.Many people in eastern Libya are concerned that the oil-rich area will be under-represented in the assembly.
Under the system devised by the outgoing National Transitional Council (NTC), which led the campaign against Gaddafi, 100 seats are allocated to the west and 40 to the south.
There are four major parties in the race -
1)Brotherhood’s Justice and Construction Party
2)Former Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril’s Secular Alliance of National Forces
3)Former Jihadist and Rebel Commander Abdel—Hakim Belhaj’s Al—Watan and
4)National Front Party
It will choose the first elected government since Col Muammar Gaddafi came to power in 1969. He was ousted in August 2011 and killed two months later.
The last fully free parliamentary election was held soon after independence in 1952. The last national vote was held in 1965, when no political parties were allowed.
Election Results
The election commission put turnout at 62% of registered voters.EU election observers said the voting process on July 07,2012 was largely "peaceful and smooth", although technical delays and violence disrupted polling in several locations.
The National Forces Alliance, led by ex-interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, has won 39 out of 80 seats reserved for political parties.
The Muslim Brotherhood's party has gained 17 seats.
The 200-member General National Assembly will also include dozens of independent candidates.
More than 100 parties competed in the poll, many of them formed only in recent months.
Interim Head of State
The 200-seat Congress, elected in July 2012 in the country's first free polls in decades, saw liberal, secular and independent candidates outflank the Muslim-Brotherhood-aligned Justice and Construction Party.
It elected Mohammed Magarief of the small but influential National Front Party as its first chairman. He will serve as Libya's interim head of state until fresh elections are held in 2013, following the drafting of a new constitution.
Mohammed Magarief beat independent candidate and fellow liberal Ali Zidan by 113 to 85 votes in the Congress chairmanship vote .
Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagur dismissed
Libya's Prime
Minister-elect has been dismissed from his post, after failing for a
second time to win parliamentary approval for a new cabinet.
Mustafa Abu Shagur was Libya's first elected prime minister following last year's overthrow of Col Muammar Gaddafi.He had served as deputy prime minister for more than a year under interim leader Abdurrahim al-Keib.In September 2012, he was elected by the national assembly to be the country's next prime minister, in a run-off vote in which he narrowly beat Mahmoud Jibril - who served as interim prime minister following the overthrow of the regime
Libyan Parliaments Approves New Govt - Oct 31,2012
General National Congress
- 200-seat assembly
- 80 members drawn from parties
- 120 individual or independent members
- 20 women members
- Voted into existence on July 7th 2012
- First meeting October 8th 2012
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