Results from Libya’s first elections since the overthrow of Col Gaddafi have shown gains for an alliance of parties seen as broadly secular. 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. (Source: persianrealm.com)
Absent from the democratic exercise on Sunday was Crown Prince Mohammad El Senussi, grand-nephew of King Idris and heir to the mantle and political movement of the last monarch of Libya (whose flag re-emerged during the uprising and is again the official flag of Libya). But the prince could well re-emerge from exile in London and organize a movement in Libya that will emerge from this round of voting, much as Bulgaria’s last king, Simeon II, returned from exile and organized a movement that brought him to power as prime minister in 2001. If so it may be as King of the Restored Monarchy.
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FUTURE PRESIDENT OR PRIME MINISTER ?
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Jibril’s alliance leading in early Libya results (Al Jazeera,
July 11, 2012 ):
Libya’s war time prime minister Mahmoud Jibril has a strong lead in early results from the country’s first elections since the fall of Muamar Gaddafi. Jibril heads the National Forces Alliance and is considered by many Libyans as the right person to lead post-war rebuilding. Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker reports from Tripoli.
Party leader Jibril calls for unity as Libya votes tallied:
Mahmud Jibril, leader of a political coalition said to be trending well as votes are tallied in Libya, calls for all parties to come together under one banner to form a coalition government. (July 8th, 2012)
(NOTE: To Watch Double Click Here)
Also Watch Christiane Amanpour’s Interview with Mahmoud Jibril Here
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BENGHAZI CAPITAL OF FORMER MONARCHY
WHERE THE LIBYAN REVOLUTION STARTED
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Libya Elections: Voters cast ballots in Benghazi (Al Jazeera):
People in Libya’s second largest city Benghazi are casting their ballots in local elections. Voters are choosing 41 city councillors. And given that Benghazi was the birthplace of the revolution in Libya, the poll is taking on wider significance. Al Jazeera’s Omar al-Saleh reports from Benghazi.
Libyans Hold Emotional Multi-Party Election, First in 60 Years (VOA):
Libyans filled with optimism went to the polls Saturday for their nation’s first multiparty elections in 60 years. As VOA’s Al Pessin reports from Tripoli, it was an emotional moment for people who have lived through 42 years of dictatorship and a bloody revolution.
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MAHMOUD JIBRIL : PROFILE
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Mahmoud Jibril’s Profile (bbc)
As interim prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril was one of the most high-profile figures in the conflict that ousted long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.
NTC’s Mahmoud Jibril on Muammar Gaddafi’s death ( Oct 20, 2011) :
Al Jazeera’s James Bays caught up with the chairman of the NTC’s exeuctive committee just within the last few hours. Mahmoud Jibril said this day would have been unimaginable just a few months ago.
That prominence appears to have paid off at the ballot box, with election results showing his National Forces’ Alliance leading in the country’s first democratic vote in decades.
There is speculation that he will have a key future position, possibly as president, in the post-Gaddafi era.
Due to election laws banning members of the ruling National Transition Council (NTC) running for parliament, he was not a contender himself.
Western-educated and English-speaking, Mr Jibril is credited by some with helping win support for Libya’s then opposition last year.
His supporters regard him as someone who can unify the country at a time of uncertainty, as Libya seeks to emerge from its brutal conflict. The 60-year-old is also seen as a safe pair of hands to rebuild Libya’s oil economy.
His defection to the rebel National Transitional Council at the beginning of last year’s revolution was well-timed, pushing him into the spotlight. He served as prime minister for the NTC until October 2011, when he fulfilled a pledge to resign after Libya was “liberated”.
But critics have expressed discomfort with his links to the Gaddafi regime. Before his defection, Mr Jibril acted as head of the National Economic Development Board (NEDB) – a position into which he claims he was strong-armed.
Born in 1952, Mr Jibril has both a master’s degree in political science and a PhD in strategic planning and decision-making from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.
After completing his doctorate in 1984, he taught strategic planning and decision-making at the university for several years. He also wrote several books and ran leadership training programmes in several Arab states.
He later became the head of the Libyan National Planning Council.
In 2009, he was given his position as chairman of the NEDB, which was founded in the mid-2000s to encourage investment in Libya. He reported directly to the prime minister.
A leaked US diplomatic cable from November 2009 written by the US ambassador to Libya, Gene Cretz, described Mr Jibril as “a serious interlocutor who ‘gets’ the US perspective”.
“He is also not shy about sharing his views of US foreign policy, for example, opining that the US spoiled a golden opportunity to capitalise on its ‘soft power’ (McDonald’s, etc) after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 by putting ‘boots on the ground’ in the Middle East,” Mr Cretz wrote.
An earlier US diplomatic cable described Mr Jibril as “reform-minded”.
Before the uprising, he was involved in a project called “Libyan Vision” with other intellectuals, which sought to establish a democratic state.
Related Blogs:
MONARCHY OR REPUBLIC ? British MP Calls For Referendum On Libya’s Future
Former Kingdom’s PM Adovocates A Parliamentary System for Future Libya
Libya independence: King Idris anniversary celebrated
Recommended Watchings:
PHOTO ESSAY: 1960s Libya: A Glimpse of Life Before Gaddafi
THE «R» WORD: Film on the «United Kingdom of Libya» Narrated by it’s Heir
TRIPOLI BRIGADE:France 24’s Groundbreaking Documentary on Libyan Rebels
Other Related Blogs:
Libya’s Exiled Crown Prince Hails ‘New Chapter’ For Libya
MACBETH: Life & Death of Libya’s Usurper “King of Kings” in 3 Bloody Acts …
ROYAL HOPEFUL:Libyan Crown Prince offers to help homeland
Exiled Libyan Crown Prince sees Gaddafi toppled soon
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Libya’s Exiled
Crown Prince calls on world to stop ‘massacre,’ remove Gaddafi
