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
European Parliament Hosts Libya's Crown Prince
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Pro-U.S.demonstration in Benghazi, Libya asking forgiveness
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Sep 13, 2012 12:54 PM PDTPro-U.S.demonstration in Benghazi, Libya (msn, PHOTOS))
Libya elects Shagur (and Not Jibril) as next PM
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Sep 13, 2012 05:11 AM PDTLibya elects Shagur as next PM (bbc)
Libya's national assembly elects engineer Mustafa Abu Shagur as the country's next prime minister, after a close vote against Mahmoud Jibril.
Mr Jibril comfortably won the first round of the vote, with 86 to 55 votes. But in the run-off, Mr Shagur won 96 votes, two more than Mr Jibril.
Mr Shagur's victory was in part due to the support of deputies from the Muslim Brotherhoods' Justice and Construction Party, AFP news agency says.
The election came a day after the killing of the US ambassador to Libya, and three others, in an attack on the consulate in the country's second city, Benghazi.
Mr Shagur studied at the University of Tripoli before moving to the US, where he earned a PhD and worked as an academic and optical engineer.
He returned in 2011 to become an adviser to the National Transitional Council, which was formed during the revolt that ousted Gaddafi.
Libyan government apologizes to U.S. over Amb. Stevens death
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Sep 12, 2012 06:00 AM PDTCrown Prince of Libya Condemns the Attack of US Consulate
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Sep 12, 2012 05:51 AM PDTCrown Prince of Libya Condemns the Attack of US Consulate and the killing of the US Ambassador :
"It is reported that the U.S. ambassador to Libya was killed in a rocket attack on Tuesday night that targeted his car in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
This heart breaking event is a red flag to us all that Libya is very fragile and scars/wounds of the Libyan people run deep. The hurt that has been inflicted onto the innocent Libyan souls are now turning into resentment and hate. Please do not allow your painful past to negatively influence your thinking and your future. Libya is a great country with great people. Allow yourselves and the country of Libya to prosper by using your hurt and sadness to build a better Libya" -Crown Prince Mohammed El Senussi of Libya
Obama condemns killing of U.S. ambassador to Libya
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Sep 12, 2012 05:33 AM PDTObama condemns killing of U.S. ambassador to Libya(cnn)
(CNN) -- The United States ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, was killed in a rocket attack on the U.S. Consulate in the city of Benghazi on Tuesday, President Obama said Wednesday.
"I strongly condemn the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, which took the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens," Obama said in a statement.
"Chris was a courageous and exemplary representative of the United States," Obama said.
The other three victims were American security staff, said a contractor working at the mission, who asked not to be named for security reasons.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
American dies in Libya protests at US Consulate
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Sep 12, 2012 12:44 AM PDTAmerican dies in Libya protests (bbc)
A US official is killed as Libyan militiamen storm the consulate in Benghazi, hours after a similar attack in Egypt over a US-produced film said to be insulting to the Prophet Muhammad.
Gunmen storm Libya's US consulate Also over US Film
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Sep 11, 2012 02:27 PM PDTGunmen storm Libya's US consulate (bbc)
Militias in Libya storm the US consulate in Benghazi over a US film allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad, in an apparent repeat of an earlier incident in Cairo.
Libya's Amazigh demand recognition
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Sep 07, 2012 02:55 PM PDTAmazigh demand recognition (bbc)
In the coastal towns and mountain villages of western Libya, there are two flags proudly flying side-by-side from every balcony and shopfront in celebration of the end of 42 years of Muammar Gaddafi's rule.
Deadly clash at Libya Sufi shrine
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Sep 07, 2012 02:49 PM PDTDeadly clash at Libya Sufi shrine (bbc)
Residents clash with ultra-conservative Islamists trying to destroy a Sufi shrine in the eastern Libyan town of Rajma, leaving three people dead.
Gaddafi ex-spy chief handed to Libya
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Sep 05, 2012 02:43 PM PDTGaddafi ex-spy chief handed to Libya (bbc)
Deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's intelligence chief is being held in Tripoli after being deported from Mauritania.
DariusK
by Frashogar on Wed Sep 05, 2012 08:55 AM PDTDespite your insults, I have no problem with the Senussi dynasty being restored in Libya. But that isn't exactly how it has panned out, has it? Instead you have maniacal Islamists in power desecrating graves and ethnically cleansing dark African Libyans and African immigrants. Some revolution that was! I think the clueless ones are those who sat cheerleading this whole spectacle last year and held French Zionist criminals such Bernard Henri-Levy and war-criminals like Nicholas Sarkozy as their heroes of choice during the unfolding of this whole travesty.
Frashogar (the Ever Clueless Melli Mazhabi) Did I ?
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Sep 05, 2012 05:34 AM PDTGee You Folks ( maryamjoon, Immortal guard, Spatima) are Truly an interesting Case Study on Schizophrenia ... You display Iranian Patriotism and Pre Islamic Royalist Avatars but are out of touch with your own Historical heritage ...
Unlike the Libyans I should say ...
Libya independence: King Idris anniversary celebrated
MONARCHY OR REPUBLIC ? British MP Calls For Referendum On Libya’s Future
Libya's Exiled Crown Prince Hails 'New Chapter' For Libya
THE « R » WORD: Film on the « United Kingdom of Libya » Narrated by it’s Heir
ROYAL HOPEFUL:Libyan Crown Prince offers to help homeland
Exiled Libyan Crown Prince sees Gaddafi toppled soon
European Parliament Hosts Libya's Crown Prince
Libya's Exiled Crown Prince calls on world to stop 'massacre,' remove Gaddafi
Mauritania 'hands over Gaddafi spy chief'
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Sep 05, 2012 05:13 AM PDTMauritania 'hands over Gaddafi spy chief' (bbc)
Mauritania has handed Libya's former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi over to Libyan authorities, state media are reporting.
Yes, Salafists are against the Senussi dynasty being
by Frashogar on Thu Aug 30, 2012 01:42 AM PDTrestored. The Salafists are also against any kind of parliamentary democracy or secularism. The Salafists are only after establishing a Wahhabi Islamist Caliphate. This is what you actually supported with the overthrow of Ghadaffi in Libya and NATO bombing "humanitarian intervention" and "democracy" into that country.
Salafists are actually against the Senussi Dynasty Restoration
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:33 AM PDTThe ancient Shrines in question are precisely those which were constructed by the Senussi Order which is of Sufi inspiration and diametrically at odds with the conception of Islam proposed by the Salafist readings of the Holy scriptures ...
This explains the recent attacks against these Holy Shrines which remind people of Libya's Royal Heritage and that of the Senussi Dynasty which once Ruled Libya ...
Before Talking Crap A Little bit of Historical Knowledge never hurts ...
THE « R » WORD : Film on the « United Kingdom of Libya » Narrated by it’s Heir
Extremists demolish Libya’s shrines using bulldozers, explosives
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Aug 30, 2012 12:24 AM PDTExtremists demolish Libya’s shrines using bulldozers, explosives (France 24)
Some "democracy" NATO brought to Libya
by Frashogar on Sun Aug 26, 2012 02:06 PM PDTWith democracy like this who needs tyranny?
Libyan interior minister resigns
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Aug 26, 2012 01:51 PM PDTLibyan interior minister resigns (bbc)
Libya's interior minister has quit in the wake of a series of attacks on Sufi Muslim shrines and other violence that has rocked the country.
Fawzi Abdelali resigned in protest at criticism from Congress over his handling of the violence, an aide said.
The latest incidents include attacks on two Sufi shrines that were blamed on ultra-conservative Salafi Islamists.
Attacks on shrines of sects have risen since the end of the eight-month civil war that toppled Col Muammar Gaddafi.
There has also been a recent double car bombing in Tripoli and clashes between rival tribes in Zlitan.Muslim shrines attacked in Libya
by Darius Kadivar on Sat Aug 25, 2012 11:11 AM PDTMuslim shrines attacked in Libya (bbc)
Ultraconservative Islamists are blamed for the latest attacks in Libya against pilgrimage sites used by followers of Sufi Islam.
Libya seizes Gaddafi militia's tanks
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Aug 23, 2012 11:00 PM PDTLibya seizes Gaddafi militia's tanks (bbc)
More than 100 tanks have been seized from a militia group loyal to former Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, government officials say.
Nearly 30 rocket launches were also captured when security forces raid the group's camp in Tarhuna, near Tripoli.
The officials say the Brigade of the Faithful group was behind last Sunday's car bombings which killed two people.
In a separate development, at least three people died in clashes between rival tribes in northern Libya.
A number of people were also reported to have been injured in the clashes in the town of Zlitan, south-east of the capital, Tripoli.
Libya remains awash with weapons left over from last year's uprising which ousted Col Gaddafi, and the new government has struggled to assert its authority across the vast country.Libya bombs blamed on Gaddafi men
by Darius Kadivar on Mon Aug 20, 2012 04:49 AM PDTLibya bombs blamed on Gaddafi men (bbc)
Libyan forces arrest 32 members of a "pro-Gaddafi cell" over the twin car bombings that killed two people in Tripoli on Sunday, officials say.
Libya car bomb attacks kill two
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Aug 19, 2012 01:31 AM PDTLibya car bomb attacks kill two (bbc)
Two people are killed in twin car bomb attacks close to security force buildings in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, officials say.
One blast took place near the former military academy for women, while the other struck close to the interior ministry.
Emergency crews rushed to the scenes of the blasts, which were cordoned off.
It is the first deadly bomb attack since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi last year.Libya general killed in Benghazi
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Aug 10, 2012 04:58 PM PDTLibya general killed in Benghazi (bbc)
A top Libyan defence official is shot dead in the eastern city of Benghazi, in the latest of a series of attacks on Gaddafi-era security officials
New Libya parliament elects Mohammed Magarief as head
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Aug 10, 2012 01:06 AM PDTNew Libya parliament elects head (bbc)
Libya's national assembly, which assumed power amid celebrations on Thursday and is tasked with drafting a constitution, elects a moderate Islamist as its head.
Libya NTC hands power to assembly
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Aug 09, 2012 01:05 AM PDTLibya NTC hands power to assembly (bbc)
Libya's interim National Transitional Council has handed power to a newly elected assembly, almost a year after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.
NTC chief Mustafa Abdul Jalil passed the reins to the oldest member of the legislative body at a late-night ceremony in the capital, Tripoli.
The NTC, which was formed during last year's revolt, has now been dissolved.
The change marks the first peaceful transition of power in Libya's modern history.
Libya's interim rulers set for handover of power
by Darius Kadivar on Wed Aug 08, 2012 12:51 PM PDTLibya set for handover of power (bbc)
Libya's interim rulers are set to hand power to the country's newly-elected national assembly following the first post-Gaddafi polls.
Libya Red Cross building attacked
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Aug 05, 2012 02:29 PM PDTLibya Red Cross building attacked (bbc)
Unknown assailants lay siege to a Red Cross residential building in Misrata, Libya - prompting the agency to withdraw staff from two cities.
Gunmen free Libya Olympic chief
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Jul 22, 2012 05:49 AM PDTGunmen free Libya Olympic chief (bbc)
The president of the Libyan Olympic Committee has been freed, a week after he was kidnapped by gunmen in Tripoli.
Ahmed Nabil al-Taher al-Alam was in a car with a colleague last Sunday when two vehicles carrying men in uniform blocked the road and took him away.
He returned home unharmed early on Sunday morning, his brother said.
Mr Alam took charge of the Olympic committee after its president, Mohammed Gaddafi, a son of the late Libyan leader, fled to Algeria last year.
The two men are reported to have been friends before the uprising.