Liberals Capture Lead in Libya Election

Libya’s largest liberal political party has gained the lead in the country’s first election in more than half a century.
Liberals Capture Lead in Libya Election
Libyans celebrate in Martyrs' Square in Tripoli after voting for the Libyan General National Assembly on July 7. Eager voters cast ballots in Libya's first free national elections for decades after the ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi. (Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/GettyImages)
7/18/2012
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img class="size-full wp-image-1784747" title="Libyans celebrate in Martyrs' Square in Tripoli after voting for the Libyan General National Assembly on July 7. Eager voters cast ballots in Libya's first free national elections for decades after the ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi. (Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/GettyImages)" src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/Libya_147977666.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="499"/></a>

Libya’s largest liberal political party has gained the lead in the country’s first election in more than half a century.

Final results released late Tuesday found that the most votes went to the National Forces Alliance, led by Mahmoud Jibril, the former interim prime minister who steered the country following the fall of dictator Moammar Gadhafi last year.

Out of 80 seats reserved for political parties, the NFA won 39 seats, compared to just 17 seats by the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Justice and Construction Party.

However, it remains to be seen which party can form the largest coalition in the 200-member National Assembly.

The body will be responsible for appointing a prime minister and drafting legislation ahead of full parliamentary elections which will be held next year.

The current interim prime minister Abdurrahim al-Keib said the election in itself was cause for celebration.

“Everybody in Libya is happy,” he was quoted as saying by the BBC. “And we are thankful to those partners and friends who have helped us to get to this point.”

In the final count, only one woman won a seat, after 33 had been projected to win after preliminary results.

Libya’s last fully free parliamentary election was held in 1952.