The Significance of Libya’s Results

Hearts and Minds

Breaking with the election trend exhibited in the rest of North Africa, the Islamic parties did not fare strongly in Libya’s most recent elections. Though Libya is fairly conservative Muslim country, Libya’s citizens instead chose the National Forces Alliance, the party headed by former interim government leader Mahmoud Jibril. Though the NFA has also made claims suggesting that Islamic values will be a fundamental aspect driving their policies, their more secular slant and focus on economic development and reconciliation is demonstrative that Libyans are eager to move past the legacy of the former regime and of the 2011 conflict.

A Libyan National Electoral Commission worker takes a break from working as his colleague checks the ballot boxes of the National Assembly elections in Benghazi on July 12, 2012

Confirming unofficial results, it has been confirmed that Libya’s voters have not gone the way of the Tunisia and Egypt. While the Arab Spring appeared to have led to a resurgence of Islamic-affiliated parties in the region, Libya is now the exception. Though Libya is fairly conservative Muslim country, Libya’s citizens instead chose the National Forces Alliance, the party headed by former interim government leader Mahmoud Jibril.

Following a number of delays and recounts, the National Election Commission announced that the National Forces Alliance party has won 39 of the 80 seats reserved for political parties in Libya’s 200 member General National Assembly. Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood’s affiliated party, the Justice and Construction party, won 17 seats, less than half of the secular party. Interestingly, even more conservative Muslim parties had a more difficult time securing votes from conservative Libyans. The al-Wattan party for instance failed to win a single seat.

The significant victory of the National Forces Alliance party has been attributed to its leadership. Headed by the former leader of Libya’s first interim government, Mahmoud Jibril, many Libyans have come to associate the party with the type of change that led to the revolution in the first place. In addition, Jibril’s former experience as a member of Libya’s economic development board has helped brand the party as a source of knowledge regarding the types of economic reforms the country will need to implement in its efforts to reconstruct the post-war economy.

Indeed, Jibril’s party has declared its intention to attract foreign direct investment to Libya, and believes it is a priority to improve the country’s infrastructure. Importantly, the NFA has also been vocal about the social policies it will implement as a means to address some of the lingering development issues the country faces in its transition. For instance, the NFA has suggested it would like to create a minimum wage and expand the country’s social security system.

It is important to note however that while most Libyans voted for the NFA, this by no means suggests that Islam will not play an important role in the policies of a future government. For one, the NFA itself believes that Sharia should be the main legislation in the country, and it has not described itself as a secular party.

Moreover, the make-up of the General Assembly has not yet been confirmed. Though it is known that the NFA has won the majority of the 80 party seats, a further 120 seats are reserved for candidates who ran as individuals. According to a recent article in The Guardian, some of these individuals may declare themselves for one of the parties when Parliament meets in August. Such a move could reorient the policy inclinations of the general assembly towards more religious values. Nevertheless, it has been noted hat the majority of the individual candidates are representative of Libya’s numerous tribal and ethnic minorities. As such it is unlikely they will favor being engulfed in a party that already represents the interests of majority groups in the country.

Paula Mejia

Paula Mejia is a contributing writer for The Majalla. As a freelance journalist and former consultant for the African Development Bank, her work has focused on the economic and social challenges in Africa, with a special focus on Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. She is a graduate of the London School of Economics, L’Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris (Science Po) and the University of Chicago.