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By Libya Herald reporters.
Tunis/Tripoli, 31 January 2017:
Three of the seven members of Sirte municipal council have suspended their membership of the authority in protest at what they say is Mayor Mukhtar Al-Madani’s personal style of government. They accuse him of making decisions and appointments without consulting them and have called on the Presidency Council’s local government minister to intervene and, reportedly, “stop Al-Madani’s excesses”.
The three – Hania Bukharis, Ibrahim Mlitan and Khaled Hussein – have opposed him for some while. They voted against him at the mayoral election last month, and had to be cajoled into turning up to it in the first pace. Knowing that he would obtain four out of the seven votes, they had planned to boycott the meeting in the hope that it would prevent the contest and scupper his chances. However, it was pointed out that they could be removed as councillors if they did not turn up as summonsed.
That possibility still hangs over them if they boycott the council. According to a member of the Central Committee for Municipal Council Elections, the local government law (Law 59 of 2012) which set up the municipalities states that if a councillor misses three council meetings in a row without a valid reason, he or she is deemed to have resigned.
The same source noted that following immediately Madani’s election, Sirte Council had met and started working well but that the divide had reasserted itself and was not causing problems
Responding last night to the three, Madani said that he “respects all points of views” but that they did not fully understand the role and duties of councillors as laid out in Law 59. Under it, they are supposed to chair specific local technical committees, attend council meetings and notify them as to what is happening in their committees, and vote on decisions.
He also announced that council meetings would shortly start taking place in Sirte rather than elsewhere.
It is not known what the response of the local government ministry will be. Madani is not popular with it, especially after he accused the Presidency Council just over a week ago of ignoring its many problems. His links to the rival Beida-based administration of Abdullah Al-Thinni has not made matters any easier for him. It is known, too, that the real power in Sirte at present, the Misratan-led Bunyan Marsous forces, do not care for him either. Shortly after he was elected, it appointed its own military governor for the town.
Yesterday it appointed a new head of its security directorate, Colonel Saddiq Bensaud, for Sirte.
