No Result
View All Result
Friday, June 2, 2023
22 °c
Tripoli
23 ° Sat
23 ° Sun
24 ° Mon
24 ° Tue
  • Advertising
  • Contact
LibyaHerald
 
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
LibyaHerald
No Result
View All Result
Home Libya

Federalism on the rise in Benghazi

bytomlittle
January 8, 2014
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Federalism on the rise in Benghazi

Graffiti in Benghazi reading "Yes to federalism, no to the Muslim Brotherhood, the agents of Qatar" (Photo: Mathieu Galtier)

12
SHARES
51
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

 By Mathieu Galtier.

Graffiti in Benghazi reading “Yes to federalism, no to the Muslim Brotherhood, the agents of Qatar” (Photo: Mathieu Galtier)

Tripoli, 5 January 2013:

Nearly two years after the beginning of Libya’s revolution, the country is still going through a . . .[restrict]period of economic and political uncertainty.

The security situation in parts of the country remains precarious, and attacks in Benghazi appear to be on the rise again after a string of killings targeting police officers in the city at the end of 2012.

However, federalists are taking advantage of these difficulties to emerge as a credible alternative to the current system of government, and the issue of drafting of Libya’s new constitution could be decisive in helping them to win votes.

RELATED POSTS

SPARK partners with Hive and Assaraya in Benghazi to implement training programme

REAoL opens Benghazi office – to open office in south soon

Written along the speedway in front of the Tibesti, Benghazi’s main hotel, the graffiti reads: “Yes to federalism. No to Muslim Brotherhood who are working for Qatar”. When people are asked how long it has been there for, they have no idea. The slogan seems natural to them, even if they don’t agree with the sentiment. Federalism certainly seems to be on the rise.

Federalism “won’t go away”

“Federalism is getting bigger and bigger in Benghazi, mostly because the government is failing in all sectors. MPs thought that federalists were just a group of young people who were going to calm down, but they won’t”, explained Dr. Abeir Imneina, a political science professor at Benghazi University.

The latest attacks on public buildings in the capital of Cyrenaica have not curbed enthusiasm for federalism. Quite the contrary, in fact; some have been persuaded a federalized government would be more able to deal with threats to the state.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the bombings. But Abubaker M. Buera, president of the federalist National Union Party (currently registering with the government), sees one group as at least partly to blame for the instability: Tripoli and its over-centralized government.

Buera promises that insecurity can be tackled in a more effective way in a federal State. “Federalism doesn’t mean weakness. We could have local police who know the field and the people and a federal police, like the FBI in the United States”, he said.

Gaining ground across the country

“We have more and more support from the population. They have understood the difference between federalism and independence. Even the Amazigh tribes in the West and the Tebu in the South have accepted federalism”, Buera told the Libya Herald.

Abdusalam Al-Furjani is looking forward to federalism. He is one the policemen working in Benghazi’s Fayyad police station which was targeted by a bomb in December. “The brigades have good cars and good weapons compared to the police. We need better material. The government is doing nothing for us”, he said. He added that he was sure a federal government would be more able to supply them with the equipment they needed to protect themselves better.

As the head of Benghazi local council’s media committee, Usama Al-Sherif insists that relations between the local executive and the General National Congress (GNC) are excellent. “What we need is more decentralization – that’s all.”

He brushes aside the issue of federalism, adding: “We have no statistics about the exact number of people who support federalism”. However, he could not stop himself from making the distinction between Easterners and Westerners: “In the East, everyone is against Gaddafi not like in the West.”

Since the end of the revolution, the federalists are sure to have won over a large number of Easterners to their vision of what Libya’s future government should look like.

The federal formula seems increasingly attractive to many in Benghazi (Photo: Mathieu Galtier)

Decentralisation is “a joke”

“People have understood that federalism doesn’t mean independence, contrary to what the propaganda from Tripoli is saying on television”, Buera told the Libya Herald.

But when the thorny question of decentralization is mentioned to federalists, they reject it as “a joke”, and “a way for Tripoli to steal our money”. The issue of the headquarter office of the National oil company (NOC) is a symbol for federalists. “It was Gaddafi’s decision to transfer the NOC to Tripoli, it should have been back to Benghazi since a long time now”, Buera said.

Only defence, central banking decisions, foreign policy and oil revenue should be dealt by the national government, according to federalist leaders.

This new popularity has spurred on federalists’ political ambition. Abubaker Buera created the National Union Party after a split inside the Cyrenaica Supreme Concil (CSS). He clashed with Ahmed Zubair Senussi, president of the CSS, about his “individual” conception of ruling the party.

Twenty votes out of twenty?

Federalists dream of a landslide victory at the elections for the 60 members of the constituent commission (20 in the West, 20 in the East and 20 in the South). They are sure to win all the 20 seats and even more thanks to the federalists in the West and in the South.

The GNC would like to appoint these members itself, but it would be almost impossible for them to do this. The two federalist political parties have threatened to block the eastern borders and to seize the oil refineries if the GNC decide to nominate the 60 members. What’s more, the religious movement issued a fatwa in support of the election.

Is the movement strong enough to win in a head-to-head with the GNC if it came down to it? Nobody knows for sure, but they certainly seem to have the will.

“Congress is under the control of Muslim brotherhood thanks to the support of most of the independent MPs. So, on the one hand the Brotherhood doesn’t want an election. On the other hand, the federalists are eager to press ahead with the campaign because they boycotted the general election and they have no political clout”, Imneina said.

Usama is keeping a close eye on the  issue of the election or nomination of members of the commission about the Constitution, but it is just a first step for him. What he really wants is independence for Cyrenaica “by guns if necessary”. Usama’s full name is Usama Buera, Abubaker’s son.

The next generation is already on the starting blocks.

 

 

 

 

 

  [/restrict]

 Your browser does not support HTML5 video.
Tags: BenghaziCyrenaicafeaturedfederalismGeneral National CongressGNCLibyapolicesecurityTripoli
Share5Tweet3Share1

Related Posts

Attorney General orders arrests at Jumhouria bank branch for embezzlement
Libya

Members of illegal organizations given imprisonment and death sentences by Misrata Criminal Court

May 30, 2023
State recognised militia and Libyan Army clash in central Tripoli
Libya

State recognised militia and Libyan Army clash in central Tripoli

May 29, 2023
FDCC destroys non-conforming shipments of medicines, calls on suppliers to respect Libyan health standards
Libya

FDCC destroys non-conforming shipments of medicines, calls on suppliers to respect Libyan health standards

May 29, 2023
GNU to take oath at Benghazi HoR session and budget to be approved at Tripoli session: GNU
Libya

Tripoli Libyan government conducts drone strikes against criminal hideouts in western coast

May 25, 2023
AmCham Libya Networking Breakfast
Libya

US Embassy in Tripoli announces easing of visa protocol: One-year multiple entry visas now replace three-month single-entry visas

May 24, 2023
Ten former antagonists, now presidential candidates, including Hafter, Bashagha and Maetig gather in Benghazi
Libya

Bashagha suspended by HoR as eastern-based prime minister

May 19, 2023
Next Post
Police unveil new design for patrol cars

Police unveil new design for patrol cars

Ras Jedir border crossing still closed, Tunisian-Libyan Chamber of Commerce transports Tunisian goods to Libya by sea

Ras Jedir border crossing still closed, Tunisian-Libyan Chamber of Commerce transports Tunisian goods to Libya by sea

 

Advertise on LibyaHerald

Reach thousands of our site visitors daily

240 x 400px

Advertise Here
ADVERTISEMENT

Top Stories

  • State recognised militia and Libyan Army clash in central Tripoli

    State recognised militia and Libyan Army clash in central Tripoli

    219 shares
    Share 88 Tweet 55
  • Tripoli Libyan government conducts drone strikes against criminal hideouts in western coast

    140 shares
    Share 57 Tweet 35
  • The Tripoli Libyan Ministry of Transport confirms development plan for Libya-Tunisia Ras Jedir border crossing

    66 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 17
  • Members of illegal organizations given imprisonment and death sentences by Misrata Criminal Court

    47 shares
    Share 19 Tweet 12
  • NOC completes strategic project to increase local gas supply and clean pipelines

    44 shares
    Share 18 Tweet 11
LibyaHerald

The Libya Herald first appeared on 17 February 2012 – the first anniversary of the Libyan Revolution. Since then, it has become a favourite go-to source on news about Libya, for many in Libya and around the world, regularly attracting millions of hits.

Recent News

SPARK partners with Hive and Assaraya in Benghazi to implement training programme

REAoL opens Benghazi office – to open office in south soon

Sitemap

  • Why subscribe?
  • Terms & Conditions
  • FAQs
  • Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights
  • Subscribe now

Newsletters

    Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

    Sending ...

    By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Login
    • Sign Up
    • Cart
    • Libya
    • Business
    • Advertising
    • About us
    • BusinessEye Magazine
    • Letters
    • Features
    • Why subscribe?
    • FAQs
    • Contact

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    Welcome Back!

    Sign In with Facebook
    Sign In with Linked In
    OR

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password? Sign Up

    Create New Account!

    Sign Up with Facebook
    Sign Up with Linked In
    OR

    Fill the forms bellow to register

    *By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
    All fields are required. Log In

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
    Are you sure want to unlock this post?
    Unlock left : 0
    Are you sure want to cancel subscription?