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| Africa North |
| Libyans Protest against Extension of Congress Mandate |
| 2013-11-10 |
| [An Nahar] Hundreds of Libyans erupted into the streets of the capital Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... and other cities Saturday to protest against a renewed mandate for the country's top political body, the General National Congress, next year. The GNC is the fruit of the country's first free elections in July 2012 after the overthrow of longterm dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...Proof that a madman with money will be politely received for at least 42 years until his people get tired of him and kill him... 's regime in October 2011. On its election the GNC was given an 18-month mandate to draft a new constitution and guide Libya towards general elections. But political tension and chronic insecurity have cast doubts over Libya's ability to complete the transition before the GNC's mandate expires in February. A front man for the body recently suggested it might extend the deadline for it to complete its task, sparking concern among politicians, jurists and the public. Protesters gathered in Tripoli's central Martyrs' Square on Saturday carrying posters with messages that read: "No to an extension," and "We are fed up". In 2011, Libyans rose up against Qadaffy and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... -backed rebels toppled and killed the dictator who had ruled from more than 40 years. Since then, Libya has grappled with political dissent and deadly unrest, with heavily armed former rebels refusing to heed the authorities. In October, one group of former rebel hard boyz briefly kidnapped Prime Minister Ali Zeidan from his hotel in Tripoli. While attacks are common in the east of the country, insecurity also hit Tripoli this week when festivities between rival militias killed two people and maimed 29 others on Thursday. Saturday's protests were organized by a group of youths from the eastern city of Benghazi -- cradle of the 2011 uprising -- who set up a Facebook page to rally support which has attracted more than 8,000 supporters. The group calling itself the "November 9 Movement" says that power struggles in the GNC are preventing the assembly from carrying out the transition and are calling for independents to be elected to the body. Opponents of any bid to prolong the GNC's mandate say an extension could de-legitimatize the body and push Libya into further turmoil, particularly if ex-rebels linked to some parties try to take power by force. |
| Posted by:Fred |