By Taher Zaroog.
Misrata, 24 June:
Members of Misrata Local Council have called on the chairman Yousef Ben Yousef and his deputy, Mohamed . . .[restrict]Al-Jamal, to resign.
At a meeting of the council on Thursday, 18 of the 28 council members were reported to have demanded the resignations saying that the two had failed to resolve Misrata’s problems and were unable to manage its affairs properly. They highlighted in particular the recent arrest of media personality Sulaiman Dougha by gunmen from one of the city’s militias. Heading the call for the resignation were councillors Mohamed Ben Othman and Ali Jarani.
Yousef Ben Yousef was elected chairman on 25 February, just five days after Misrata elected its the council — the city’s first democratic elections in over 42 years. He played a prominent role in last year’s revolution getting information to the outside world about what was happening in the city.
It was initially reported that the chairman and vice chairman offered to resign at the meeting but then withdrew the offer the next day.
The challenge to the two comes at a time that some Misrata lawyers and civil society activists are pushing for new rules on the work of the local council and the powers of the chairman and members of the council. [/restrict]
