Benghazi, 1 August:
Benghazi-based supporters of federalism have . . .[restrict]formed a political party in support of their ideas. According to the Federal Alliance of Benghazi, the aim of the Libyan Unionist Party is a federal system in Libya based on the country’s three historic regions — Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan. It will campaign against any discrimination between them.
The fact that federalists had tried to force the issue by setting up a Cyrenaica Transitional Council in March, rather than setting up a party to fight in elections for their ideas, angered many Libyans.
A statement by the Federal Alliance stated on Tuesday that the new party would campaign against political, financial and administrative centralisation. It would also fight for the principle of equal opportunity between the Libyan people as well as an end to tribal, linguistic and ethnic discrimination in Libya.
The statement claimed that the establishment of the new party met the aspirations and demands of a large section of the Libyan population. It said that everyone in Libya, individuals and civil society organizations alike, wanted an end to a centralisation that had been imposed by the former regime for over 40 years.
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