Unofficial title held by Muammar Gaddafi
The
Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
(
Arabic
:
???? ?????? ????? ?????? ????????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ?????????? ??????
) was a title held by former
Libyan
leader
Muammar Gaddafi
, who claimed to be merely a symbolic figurehead of the country's official
governance structure
.
[1]
[2]
However, critics long described him as a
dictator
,
[3]
referring to his position as the
de facto
former political office, despite the Libyan state's denial of him holding any power.
[1]
[2]
History
[
edit
]
After the
coup d'etat on 1 September 1969
, in which
King Idris I
was deposed, Libya was governed by the
Revolutionary Command Council
(RCC) headed by Gaddafi. On 2 March 1977, after the adoption of the
Declaration on the Establishment of the Authority of the People
, the RCC was abolished and the supreme power passed into the hands of the
General People's Congress
.
[4]
Gaddafi then became Secretary-General of the General People's Congress.
On 2 March 1979, Gaddafi renounced all public functions and was designated the "Leader" (
Q??id
) of the Libyan state and was accorded the honorifics "Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya" or "Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution" in government statements and the official press.
[5]
On 9 March 1990, the General People's Congress adopted a resolution, the Declaration of Revolutionary Legitimacy, which declared that Gaddafi had absolute legitimacy and legal authority over Libya's people and national institutions because of his role in leading the coup in 1969.
[6]
This came after he asked the
Basic People's Congresses
to give him institutional legitimacy.
[7]
[8]
The resolution made any orders issued by Gaddafi, such as directives and resolutions,
legally binding
and required them to be followed without question.
[9]
[8]
It also designated Gaddafi as the "
supreme leader
".
[10]
In effect, this resolution confirmed Gaddafi's role as the
de facto
head of state and ultimate authority in the country.
[11]
As well as being the
de facto
head of state, Gaddafi became the
de facto
head of government
, leaving him with absolute power in Libya.
[12]
Despite these changes, the Libyan state continued to claim that Gaddafi had no power as he still had no official government position.
Although Gaddafi's title as "Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution" was officially used only from 1979, it is often applied for the
whole period of Gaddafi's rule
. Although Gaddafi had no official government function from 1979, it was understood that he exercised near-absolute control over the government and the country. His 42 years in power prior to the
First Libyan Civil War
in 2011 have made him the fifth longest-ruling non-royal national leader since 1900, as well as the longest-ruling Arab leader.
[13]
Although
ousted from Tripoli
at the end of August 2011, Gaddafi retained this
de facto
position as leader of the
Pro-Gaddafi forces
, until his defeat and
killing
by the
Anti-Gaddafi forces
in the
Battle of Sirte
on 20 October 2011.
[14]
Political system of Libya under Gaddafi
[
edit
]
The Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was formally managed on the basis of political ideology set out in
The Green Book
. The ideology was based on the idea of
direct democracy
, and direct decision-making of all citizens on all political matters. Across the country there were the basic people's congresses, which were considered the original holders of sovereignty. These included the composition of its adult citizens both men and women. Of their managerial and executive bodies formed the municipal people's congresses and committees, and then the General People's Congress (legislative body) and the
General People's Committee
(executive body).
Gaddafi rejected the parliamentary representation of the people or by elected representatives, as the General People's Congress was seen as a coordinating body that brought together all the popular congresses and committees, and not elected members who made decisions on behalf of the people. All laws were approved by the basic people's congresses, and then finally adopted by the General People's Congress.
Succession proposals
[
edit
]
One of Gaddafi's plans was passing of the country’s leadership on to his son,
Saif al-Islam
, and the plan’s potential ramifications; the second is the political line adopted by the latter, and the internal and external roles he has played. Saif al-Islam was portrayed as the leader of the reform movement in contrast with the "conservatives" represented by the regime’s old guard, in particular the Revolutionary Committees.
[15]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Wynne-Jones, Jonathan (19 March 2011).
"Libyan minister claims Gaddafi is powerless and the ceasefire is 'solid'
"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. London
. Retrieved
22 October
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"Gaddafi: Libya dignity under attack"
.
Al Jazeera
. 2 March 2011
. Retrieved
22 October
2011
.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has said that he is not a president and so cannot resign his position, and that power is in the hands of the people, during a televised public rally in the capital, Tripoli.
- ^
Bazzi, Mohamad (27 May 2011).
"What Did Qaddafi's Green Book Really Say?"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
28 October
2011
.
- ^
Text of the Declaration
(in English)
- ^
"Background Note: Libya"
. US Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. October 2007
. Retrieved
11 March
2018
.
- ^
Ocampo, Luis Moreno; Ocampo, Luis Gabriel Moreno (2022).
War and Justice in the 21st Century: A Case Study on the International Criminal Court and Its Interaction with the War on Terror
. Oxford University Press. pp. 437?438.
ISBN
978-0-19-762897-3
.
- ^
Bona, Giacomina De (2013).
Human Rights in Libya: The Impact of International Society Since 1969
. Routledge. p. 85.
ISBN
978-0-415-69058-4
.
- ^
a
b
"Report of the Independent Civil Society Fact-Finding Mission to Libya"
(PDF)
.
Independent Civil Society Mission to Libya
. January 2012. p. 13
. Retrieved
13 November
2023
.
- ^
Al-Werfalli, Mabroka (2022).
Political Alienation in Libya: Assessing Citizens' Political Attitude and Behaviour
. Garnet Publishing Ltd. p. 81.
ISBN
978-0-86372-444-2
. Retrieved
13 November
2023
.
- ^
"Kadafi Designated Supreme Leader Over All Libya"
.
Los Angeles Times
. 11 March 1990
. Retrieved
13 November
2023
.
- ^
Country Report: Libya
. The Unit. 1992. p. 2
. Retrieved
13 November
2023
.
- ^
"Report of the International Commission of Inquiry to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya"
(PDF)
.
Human Rights Council
. 1 June 2011. p. 19
. Retrieved
13 November
2023
.
- ^
Charles Feraud, "Annales Tripolitaines", the Arabic version named "Al Hawliyat Al Libiya", translated to Arabic by Mohammed Abdel Karim El Wafi, Dar el Ferjani, Tripoli, Libya, vol. 3, p. 797.
- ^
"Muammar Gaddafi killed in Sirte"
. Al Jazeera English. 20 October 2011
. Retrieved
20 October
2011
.
- ^
Khechana, Rachid (29 January 2010).
"Bedouinocracy: Libya Between Hereditary Succession and Reform"
.
Arab Reform Initiative
.