GOVERNMENT
Libya’s
political system is theoretically based on the political philosophy
in Qadhafi’s Green Book, which combines socialist and Islamic
theories and rejects parliamentary democracy and political parties.
In reality, Qadhafi exercises near total control over the government.
For the first seven years following the revolution, Colonel Qadhafi
and 12 fellow army officers, the Revolutionary Command Council,
began a complete overhaul of Libya’s political system, society
and economy. In 1973, he announced the start of a "cultural
revolution" in schools, businesses, industries, and public
institutions to oversee administration of those organizations
in the public interest. On March 3, 1977, Qadhafi convened a General
People's Congress (GPC) to proclaim the establishment of "people's
power," change the country's name to the Socialist People's
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, and to vest, theoretically, primary authority
in the GPC.
The GPC
is the legislative forum that interacts with the General People's
Committee, whose members are secretaries of Libyan ministries.
It serves as the intermediary between the masses and the leadership
and is composed of the secretariats of some 600 local "basic
popular congresses." The GPC secretariat and the cabinet
secretaries are appointed by the GPC secretary general and confirmed
by the annual GPC congress. These cabinet secretaries are responsible
for the routine operation of their ministries, but Qadhafi exercises
real authority directly or through manipulation of the peoples
and revolutionary committees.
Qadhafi remained the de facto chief of state and secretary general of the GPC until 1980, when he gave up his office. Although he holds no formal office, Qadhafi exercises power with the assistance of a small group of trusted advisers, who include relatives from his home base in the Sirte region, which lies between the traditional commercial and political power centers in Benghazi and Tripoli.
In the
1980s, competition grew between the official Libyan Government
and military hierarchies and the revolutionary committees. An
abortive coup attempt in May 1984, apparently mounted by Libyan
exiles with internal support, led to a short-lived reign of terror
in which thousands were imprisoned and interrogated. An unknown
number were executed. Qadhafi used the revolutionary committees
to search out alleged internal opponents following the coup attempt,
thereby accelerating the rise of more radical elements inside
the Libyan power hierarchy.
In 1988,
faced with rising public dissatisfaction with shortages in consumer
goods and setbacks in Libya's war with Chad, Qadhafi began to
curb the power of the revolutionary committees and to institute
some domestic reforms. The regime released many political prisoners
and eased restrictions on foreign travel by Libyans. Private businesses
were again permitted to operate.
In the
late 1980s, Qadhafi began to pursue an anti-Islamic fundamentalist
policy domestically, viewing fundamentalism as a potential rallying
point for opponents of the regime. Qadhafi's security forces launched
a pre-emptive strike at alleged coup plotters in the military
and among the Warfallah tribe in October 1993. Widespread arrests
and government reshufflings followed, accompanied by public "confessions"
from regime opponents and allegations of torture and executions.
The military, once Qadhafi’s strongest supporters, became
a potential threat in the 1990s. In 1993, following a failed coup
attempt that implicated senior military officers, Qadhafi began
to purge the military periodically, eliminating potential rivals
and inserting his own loyal followers in their place.
The Libyan court system consists of three levels: the courts of first instance; the courts of appeals; and the Supreme Court, which is the final appellate level. The GPC appoints justices to the Supreme Court. Special "revolutionary courts" and military courts operate outside the court system to try political offenses and crimes against the state. "People’s courts," another example of extrajudicial authority, were abolished in January 2005. Libya’s justice system is nominally based on Sharia law.
Principal
Government Officials
De facto Head of State--Mu'ammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi ("the Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution")
Secretary General of the General People’s Committee (Prime Minister)--Dr. Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmudi
Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation (Foreign Minister)--Abd al-Rahman Shalgham
Charge d’Affaires, Libyan Embassy, Washington, DC--Ali Aujali
The
Libyan Liaison Office is located at 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite
705, Washington DC 20037 (tel. 202-944-9601, fax 202-944-9060).
Official
name: Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
Type: "Jamahiriya" is a term Col. Mu’ammar
al-Qadhafi coined and which he defines as a "state of the
masses" governed by the populace through local councils.
In fact, the Libyan state is a military dictatorship.
Independence: December 24, 1951. Revolution:
September 1, 1969.
Constitution: December 11, 1969, amended March
2, 1977--established popular congresses and people’s committees.
Administrative divisions: 25 municipalities (singular--"baladiyah",
plural--"baladiyat"): Ajdabiya, Al’Aziziyah, Al’Fatih,
Al Jabal al-Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al
Khams, Ash Shati’, Awbari, Az Zawiyyah, Benghazi, Darnah,
Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus,
Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan.
Political system: Political parties are banned.
According to the political theory of Col. Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi,
multi-layered popular assemblies (people's congresses) with executive
institutions (people's committees) are guided by political cadres
(revolutionary committees).
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory.
