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By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 8 July 2013:
At yesterday’s Prime Minister’s press conference, Ali . . .[restrict]Zeidan stressed that Libyans should not underestimate the important value of the legitimacy of the GNC and advised Libyans not to let go of it, having waited since the outbreak of the 2011 February 17th Revolution to elect it.
The Prime Minister was speaking on the anniversary of Libya’s 7th July 2012 elections – the first post Qaddafi era election in the new so-called “Free Libya”.
Zeidan was reacting to various public criticisms of the GNC and threats to dissolve it by discontented sectors of the public. These calls come after the Egyptian military coup that overthrew the legitimately elected Muslim Brotherhood Morsi regime. It also follows alleged threats by certain Libyan militias to storm the GNC.
Zeidan said that there has been much debate about the legitimacy of the state and the GNC and that “the GNC is the basis of the state and the legitimacy of the state”.
“The legitimacy of the state represents the legitimacy of the whole nation and the Libyan people who elected the GNC. Losing, damaging and targeting the GNC would be a dangerous step that would damage the standing of the state and its foundation”.
Zeidan called upon the public to accept the responsibility in protecting the legitimacy of the GNC since it is the foundation of the state currently.
He accepted and acknowledged that the performance of the state is not as is hoped for but added that GNC members were working in difficult conditions for reasons known to all.
“The matter is beyond everyone and needs patience, strong will and understanding because after the revolution there are a number of realities which mean we must be patient with one another since the barriers are not external but from ourselves”, he continued.
Libyans must be patient, he added in order to achieve their aim.
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