Libyan Assembly Elects Gadhafi Opponent as President

Mohammed el-Megarif, president of the General National Congress of Libya

Πηγή: VoA
August 10 2012

Libya's new national assembly has elected former opposition leader Mohammed el-Megarif as its president.

Mr. Megarif received 113 votes from the 200-member Congress, defeating independent Ali Zidan, who won 85.

The vote late Thursday came just one day after Libya's transitional council handed power to the assembly, which was elected last month in the nation's first free election in 60 years.

Mr. Megarif was the leader of Libya's oldest opposition movement, the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, which tried several times to end the 42-year rule of late leader Moammar Gadhafi.

After living in exile since the 1980s, Mr. Megarif returned to Libya following the revolution last year that ousted Gadhafi.

Mr. Megarif, now head of the National Front party, will lead the new Congress as it chooses a prime minister and steers the nation to full parliamentary elections after a new constitution is drafted.

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“Of course, the election of the President of the National Conference is the first step in the framework of the National Conference. The selection of Mohammed el-Megarif is a victory for Libya. This man who has a long history of fighting the Gadhafi regime is now the president of the National Congress and the sole legitimate representative of Libya. The next phase is a sensitive stage and filled with bumps and conflicts and is full of challenges but Mohammed el-Megarif has the ability and competence to lead this stage.”

Editor's note: For the background of NFSL which was created in Sudan in 1981, by the CIA and the Israeli Mossad see The National Front for the Salvation of Libya and its faux-revolutionary poster child

Qaddafi opponent named as Libya's new spy chief

Πηγή: Now Lebanon
Feb 7 2012

Libya's ruling National Transitional Council on Tuesday appointed an opponent of slain dictator Moammar Qaddafi as the country's new intelligence chief, a member of the council told AFP.

Salem al-Hassi, who was involved in a bid to assassinate Qaddafi in 1984, was appointed as the intelligence chief at a meeting of the council, NTC member Mukhtar al-Jaddal said.

Hassi is the sole surviving member of the National Front for Salvation of Libya which attempted to assassinate the former strongman at his Tripoli residence of Bab al-Aziziya.

In the armed attack on the compound about 15 people were killed.

Under Qaddafi’s regime the intelligence service used to primarily carry out the work of tracking and assassinating opponents of the dictator.

The service was previously headed by Qaddafi’s close aides such as Mussa Kussa and Bouzid Dorda.