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89-753: The original army under the Libyan monarchy of King Idris I was trained by the United Kingdom and the United States . Since Muammar Gaddafi rose to power in 1969, Libya received military assistance from the Soviet Union . The Libyan military fought in several wars, including the Libyan–Egyptian War (1977) and the Chadian–Libyan conflict (1978–1987). After the 2011 civil war and

178-520: A coup d'etat on 1 September 1969 . The King's nephew and heir presumptive , Crown Prince Hasan , was captured by the rebels and spent several years under house arrest. The new Libyan Army under Gaddafi's Libyan Arab Republic fought a short border war with Egypt in July 1977, sent several thousand troops to support Idi Amin during the Uganda–Tanzania War in 1972 and again in 1978, and spent

267-604: A broad assistance package, the UN Technical Assistance Board agreed to sponsor a technical aid program that emphasized the development of agriculture and education. The University of Libya was founded in 1955 by royal decree in Benghazi. Foreign powers, notably Britain and the United States, provided development aid. Steady economic improvement occurred, but the pace was slow, and Libya remained

356-705: A coup d'état against Fayez al-Sarraj and the Presidential Council of GNA. On 4 April 2019, Khalifa Haftar , the commander of the Libyan National Army, called on his military forces to advance on Tripoli, the capital of the GNA, in the 2019–20 Western Libya campaign This was met with reproach from United Nations Secretary General António Guterres and the United Nations Security Council . On 23 October 2020,

445-469: A decade trying to annex parts of northern Chad in 1978–1987. The Libyan army was estimated to have 50,000 total troops as of 2009. During the 2011–2014 transition period, the Libyan armed forces consisted mostly of a shifting ensemble of militias being created and dissolved and creating and dropping alliances. Leader: Mohammed Buzeiud; trained at Bassingbourn Barracks , UK (2014) As of 2019, since

534-619: A fatwa against the UN Report on Violence Against Women and Girls . He condemned the UN report for "advocating immorality and indecency in addition to rebelliousness against religion and clear objections to the laws contained in the Quran and Sunnah". Soon after the Grand Mufti issued a clarification op-ed that there should be no discrimination between men and women yet women have a greater role in

623-483: A federal form of government, was defeated throughout the country. The party was outlawed, and Bashir Saadawi was deported. Second, provincial ties continued to be more important than national ones, and the federal and provincial governments were constantly in dispute over their respective spheres of authority. A third problem derived from the lack of a direct heir to the throne. To remedy this situation, Idris in 1953 designated his sixty-year-old brother to succeed him. When

712-527: A high school art exhibit showed pictures of the leading rules of Egypt; on one side were the "bad" rulers, on the other the "good" rulers. The bad rulers began with the Pharaoh Cheops, who enslaved his people to build the pyramids, and ended with Farouk. The good rulers began with the idealistic Pharaoh Ikhnaton and ended with, of course, Gamal Abdel Nasser. In response to anti-Western agitation in 1964, Libya's essentially pro-Western government requested

801-572: A joint consultative committee aimed at economic cooperation among North African states. Although it supported Arab causes, including the Moroccan and Algerian independence movements, Libya took little active part in the Arab-Israeli dispute or the tumultuous inter-Arab politics of the 1950s and the early 1960s. Nevertheless, the brand of Arab nationalism advanced by Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser exercised an increasing influence, particularly among

890-502: A major turning point in Libyan history. Libya's petroleum law , initially passed in 1955, was amended in 1961 and again in 1965 to increase the Libyan government's share of the revenues from oil. As development of petroleum resources progressed in the early 1960s, Libya launched its first Five-Year Plan, 1963–68. One negative result of the new wealth from petroleum, however, was a decline in agricultural production, largely through neglect. Internal Libyan politics continued to be stable, but

979-522: A poor and underdeveloped country heavily dependent on foreign aid. This situation changed suddenly and dramatically in June 1959 when research prospectors from Esso (later renamed Exxon ) confirmed the location of major petroleum deposits at Zaltan in Cyrenaica . Further discoveries followed, and commercial development was quickly initiated by concession holders who returned 50 percent of their profits to

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1068-561: A positive and forward-thinking model of good governance and balance of powers for the region. Several factors, rooted in Libya's history, affected the political development of the newly independent country. They reflected the differing political orientations of the provinces and the ambiguities inherent in Libya's monarchy. First, after the first Libyan general election, 1952 , which was held on 19 February, political parties were abolished. The National Congress Party, which had campaigned against

1157-772: A possible death penalty. The case caused widespread concern although they were eventually acquitted in March 2014. After the GNC was forced to accept new elections, Ali Tekbali was elected to the new House of Representatives. During Nouri Abusahmain 's presidency of the GNC and subsequent to GNC's decision to enforce sharia law in December 2013, gender segregation and compulsory hijab were being imposed in Libyan universities from early 2014, provoking strong criticism from Women's Rights groups. A Netherlands-based global advocacy organization, Cordaid, reported that violence against Libyan women at

1246-454: A request to establish a committee to investigate his allocation of 900 million Libyan Dinars (US$ 720 million) to the LROR and various other armed groups. The GNC responded by removing Abusahmain as president and dismissing the LROR from its security function. However, the armed group was allowed to continue to operate, and no one was prosecuted for the incident. Many Libyans blamed the GNC and

1335-453: A strategically valuable installation in the 1950s and early 1960s. Reservations set aside in the desert were used by British and American military aircraft based in Europe as practice firing ranges. Libya forged close ties with France , Italy , Greece , Turkey , and established full diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1955, but declined a Soviet offer of economic aid. As part of

1424-613: A strong government because the Parliament was fragmented due to the lack of organized political parties in Libya post-revolution. The GNC was made up of two major parties, the National Forces Alliance and the Justice and Construction Party, as well as independents in which some were moderates and other conservative Islamists. The GNC became a broad-based congress. The GNA elected Nouri Abusahmain as president of

1513-416: A unifying role both in Libya, between the various strains of Islam and the plethora of Libyan tribes, and across the region. He is remembered as "uncompromising" against his enemies, no matter the consequences of his actions. The obituary posted by Associated Press in 1983 recalled that he stripped thirty members of the royal household of their privileges and rights, exiled seven princes and ruled in favor of

1602-530: Is also his responsibility to dissolve the House of Representatives in line with the constitution. The king was head of the kingdom's armed forces . The King was responsible for appointing and removing Prime Ministers . The king also appointed and dismissed ministers based on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Council of Ministers were responsible for the direction of the internal and external affairs of

1691-484: The 5+5 Joint Libyan Military Commission representing the LNA and the GNA reached a " permanent ceasefire agreement in all areas of Libya ". The agreement, effective immediately, required that all foreign fighters leave Libya within three months while a joint police force would patrol disputed areas. The first commercial flight between Tripoli and Benghazi took place that same day. On 10 March 2021, an interim unity government

1780-726: The Jewish community were also attacked, prompting the emigration of almost all remaining Libyan Jews. Although Libya was clearly on record as supporting Arab causes in general, the country did not play an important role in Arab politics. At the Arab summit conference held at Khartoum in September 1967, however, Libya, along with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait , agreed to provide generous subsidies from oil revenues to aid Egypt , Syria , and Jordan , defeated in June by Israel. Also, Idris first broached

1869-591: The Libya Shield Force . The Libya Shield Force was already identified by some observers as linked to al-Qaeda as early as 2012. Although Islamists were outnumbered by Liberals and Centrists in the GNC, in May 2013 they lobbied for a law "banning virtually everyone who had participated in Gaddafi's government from holding public office". While several Islamist political parties and independents supported

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1958-1418: The Libyan Navy ) (GNA-aligned) [REDACTED] Rida Issa (Commander of Libyan Navy) (GNA-aligned) [REDACTED] Osama Juwaili (Commander of the Western Military Zone) [REDACTED] Abubaker Marwan (Commander of Tripoli Military Zone) [REDACTED] Mohamed Elhadad (Commander of the Central Military Zone) [REDACTED] Ali Kanna (Commander of the Southern Military Zone) [REDACTED] Abu Nabil al-Anbari   † (Top ISIL leader in Libya) [REDACTED] Abu Hudhayfah al-Muhajir (ISIL governor of Wilayat Tripolitania) [REDACTED] Abu Khalid al Madani  † (Ansar al-Sharia Leader) [REDACTED] Mokhtar Belmokhtar (Commander of Al-Mourabitoun , believed dead) [REDACTED] Musa Abu Dawud  † (AQIM southern Zone commander) Islamist conflict with Libyan National Army ISIL and anti-ISIL operations Factional fighting LNA vs GNA Terror attacks Foreign involvement Peace Process The Libyan civil war (2014–2020) , also known as

2047-647: The Second Libyan Civil War , was a multilateral civil war which was fought in Libya among a number of armed groups, but mainly the House of Representatives (HoR) and the Government of National Accord (GNA), for six years from 2014 to 2020. The General National Congress (GNC), based in western Libya and backed by various militias with some support from Qatar and Turkey , initially accepted

2136-531: The United Kingdom of Libya from 1951 to 1963, was a constitutional monarchy in North Africa that came into existence upon independence on 24 December 1951 and lasted until a bloodless coup d'état on 1 September 1969 . The coup, led by Muammar Gaddafi , overthrew King Idris and established the Libyan Arab Republic . Under the constitution of October 1951, the federal monarchy of Libya

2225-464: The United Nations resolution providing for Libyan independence in 1951 and raised the status of its office at Tripoli from a consulate general to a legation . Libya opened a legation at Washington, D.C. in 1954. Both countries subsequently raised their missions to the embassy level and exchanged ambassadors . In 1953, Libya concluded a twenty-year treaty of friendship and alliance with

2314-603: The Zintan militia on 23 August. Shortly thereafter, members of the GNC, who had rejected the June election, reconvened as a new General National Congress and voted themselves as replacement of the newly elected House of Representatives, with Tripoli as their political capital, Nouri Abusahmain as president and Omar al-Hasi as prime minister. As a consequence, the majority of the House of Representatives were forced to relocate to Tobruk , aligning themselves with Haftar's forces and eventually nominating him army chief. On 6 November,

2403-480: The GNC in June 2013. He was considered an independent Islamist and a compromise candidate acceptable to liberal members of the congress, as he was elected with 96 out of a total of 184 votes by the GNC. The GNC was challenged due to increasing security concerns in Tripoli. The GNC itself was attacked many times by militias and armed protesters who stormed the GNC assembly hall. Following his appointment, Abusahmain

2492-519: The GNC into passing the law in which 164 members approved the bill, with only four abstaining and no member opposing it. GNC opponents argue that it was supporting Islamist actions against women. Sadiq Ghariani , the Grand Mufti of Libya, is perceived to be linked closely to Islamist parties. He has issued fatwas ordering Muslims to obey the GNC, and fatwas ordering Muslims to fight against Haftar 's forces In March 2013, Sadiq Ghariani, issued

2581-660: The GNC's ability to deliver real progress towards a new constitution for Libya which was a primary task for this governing body. The GNC also included members associated with conservative Islamist groups as well as revolutionary groups (thuwwar). Some members of the GNC had a conflict of interest due to associations with militias and were accused of channeling government funds towards armed groups and allowing others to conduct assassinations and kidnappings. Parties holding majority of seats and some holding minority of seats began to use boycotts or threats of boycotts which increased division and suppressed relevant debates by removing them from

2670-715: The General National Congress, that body set 25 June 2014 as the date for new elections . Islamists were defeated, but rejected the results of the election, which saw only an 18% turnout. They accused the new House of Representatives parliament of being dominated by supporters of Gaddafi, and they continued to support the old GNC after the Council officially replaced it on 4 August 2014. The conflict escalated on 13 July 2014, when Tripoli's Islamists and Misratan militias launched "Operation Libya Dawn" to seize Tripoli International Airport , capturing it from

2759-674: The Islamic Maghreb (2014–2017) [REDACTED] Fayez al-Sarraj (Chairman of the Presidential Council and Prime minister) [REDACTED] Fathi Bashagha (Minister of Interior) [REDACTED] Salah Eddine al-Namrush (Minister of Defence) [REDACTED] Mohammad Ali al-Haddad (Chief of the General Staff of the Libyan Army ) [REDACTED] Abdul Hakim Abu Hawliyeh (Chief of

Libyan Armed Forces - Misplaced Pages Continue

2848-654: The Islamists in May 2014, code-named Operation Dignity ( Arabic : عملية الكرامة ; 'Amaliyat al-Karamah). The 2012 elections, overseen by the Libyan electoral commission with the support of the UN Special Mission In Libya (UNSMIL) and nongovernmental organizations like the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), have been considered "fair and free" by most Libyans. However, the elections did not necessarily create

2937-571: The King. A seat in the Senate was restricted to Libyan nationals of at least forty years. The King appointed the President of the Senate, with the Senate itself electing two vice presidents which the King would then need to approve. The president and vice president served for a fixed two-year term. At the end of this term, the King was free to reappoint the president or replace them with someone else while

3026-466: The LROR. In October, Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was kidnapped. It is believed to have been carried out by the LROR, although there is evidence to suggest that armed groups such as the Duru3 actually conducted the kidnapping. Following the kidnapping, Abusahmain used his presidency to change the agenda of the GNC in order to prevent them from disestablishing the LROR. At the same time, he cancelled

3115-445: The Libyan government in taxes. In the petroleum market, Libya's advantages lay not only in the quantity but also in the high quality of its crude product. Libya's proximity and direct linkage to Europe by sea were further marketing advantages. The discovery and exploitation of petroleum turned the vast, sparsely populated, impoverished country into an independently wealthy nation with potential for extensive development and thus constituted

3204-525: The Parliament to endorse the 1951 Constitution as a legitimate Constitution for the whole country. The party held a meeting in Bayda attended by Cyrenaican authorities as well as by members of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives under the slogan "The return to the unamended Constitution of the founding fathers of 1951 to ensure the unity of the Libyan nation". A conclusive statement authored by

3293-486: The United Kingdom under which the latter received military bases in exchange for financial and military assistance. The next year, Libya and the United States signed an agreement under which the United States also obtained military base rights, subject to renewal in 1970, in return for economic aid to Libya. The most important of the United States installations in Libya was Wheelus Air Base , near Tripoli, considered

3382-465: The army chief of staff and the head of security in the kingdom. After hearing about the coup, King Idris dismissed it as "unimportant". The coup pre-empted King Idris' instrument of abdication dated 4 August 1969 to take effect 2 September 1969 in favour of the Crown Prince, who had been appointed regent following the king's departure for Turkey. Following the overthrow of the monarchy the country

3471-508: The center of political debate over the past years. In fact, the document continues to be widely regarded as an important instrument and a solid base towards the solution of Libya's political crisis. Growing support on the ground in Libya that a Constitutional monarchy based on the pre-revolutionary constitution should be reinstated as a force for stability, unity, and just governance has emerged since 2011. Libyan exiles, as well as prominent political actors and local groups, have publicly backed

3560-466: The congressional agenda; voting to declare sharia law and establishing a special committee to "review all existing laws to guarantee they comply with Islamic law"; imposing gender segregation and compulsory hijab at Libyan universities; and refusing to hold new elections when its electoral mandate expired in January 2014 until General Khalifa Haftar launched a large-scale military offensive against

3649-544: The core of the Libyan National Army (LNA). As of November 2019, the regular core of the LNA (about 7000 soldiers) was complemented by Salafist militias and foreign mercenaries (about 18 000 soldiers). As of 2019, the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) retained formal control of the militias nominally constituting the Libyan Army , while the Libyan Air Force

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3738-457: The country and the council were accountable to the House of Representatives. Once a prime minister was removed from office this automatically resulted in dismissal of all the other ministers. The Kingdom's parliament consisted of two chambers , the Senate and the House of Representatives . Both chambers met and closed at the same time. The Senate was made up of twenty-four members appointed by

3827-616: The country divided into ten new provinces, each headed by an appointed governor. The legislature revised the constitution in 1963 to reflect the change from a federal to a unitary state . In regional affairs, Libya enjoyed the advantage of not having aggravated boundary disputes with its neighbors. Libya was one of the thirty founding members of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), established in 1963, and in November 1964 participated with Morocco , Algeria , and Tunisia in forming

3916-664: The country, allowing armed groups to expand in Tripoli and the east. In April 2014, an anti-terrorist training base called "Camp 27", located between Tripoli and the Tunisian border , was taken over by forces fighting under the control of Abd al-Muhsin Al-Libi, also known as Ibrahim Tantoush , a long-serving Al-Qaeda organizer and former member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group . The Islamist forces at Camp 27 have subsequently been described as part of

4005-477: The eastern city of Shahat, along with protesters from Bayda and Sousse, staged a large demonstration, rejecting the GNC's extension plan and demanding the resignation of the congress followed by a peaceful power transition to a legitimate body. They also protested the lack of security, blaming the GNC for failing to build the army and police. Other Libyans rejecting the proposed mandate rallied in Tripoli's Martyrs Square and outside Benghazi's Tibesti Hotel, calling for

4094-450: The evacuation of British and American bases before the dates specified in the treaties. Most British forces were in fact withdrawn in 1966, although the evacuation of foreign military installations, including Wheelus Air Base, was not completed until March 1970. The Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors sparked violent demonstrations including attacks on the United States and British embassies and oil company offices. Members of

4183-470: The execution of one of his nephew who had murdered a trusted royal adviser. Although the king and the crown prince died in exile and most of the younger generation of Libyans were born after the monarchy, the Senussi dynasty has enjoyed somewhat of a comeback during the 2011 Libyan civil war , especially in the dynasty's traditional stronghold of Cyrenaica . Opposition demonstrators to Colonel Gaddafi used

4272-476: The fall of Gaddafi, the armed forces consisted mostly of local militias that were frequently created or ceased to be active and made temporary shifting alliances. During 2015–2018, after Khalifa Haftar was appointed in 2015 by the Libyan parliament in Tobruk as the supreme commander of the armed forces, he unified many militias into a regular hierarchical structure in the eastern part of Libya that became known as

4361-413: The family. Later in 2013, lawyer Hamida Al-Hadi Al-Asfar, advocate of women's rights, was abducted, tortured and killed. It is alleged she was targeted for criticising the Grand Mufti's declaration. No arrests were made. In June 2013, two politicians, Ali Tekbali and Fathi Sager, appeared in court for "insulting Islam" for publishing a cartoon promoting women's rights. Under sharia law they were facing

4450-485: The federal form of government had proven inefficient and cumbersome. In April 1963, Prime Minister Mohieddin Fikini secured adoption by parliament of a bill, endorsed by the king, that abolished the federal form of government, establishing in its place a unitary, monarchical state with a dominant central government. By legislation, the historical divisions of Cyrenaica , Tripolitania , and Fezzan were to be eliminated and

4539-513: The following seven years under house arrest. Publicly humiliated by Gaddafi's circle, he suffered a stroke that led him to seek medical treatment in the UK in 1988. He then travelled to Europe with his second son, Prince Mohammed El Hassan El Rida El Senussi, and died in 1992 in London surrounded by his family. When, on 18 June 1992, the last will of the late Crown Prince was read at a press conference at

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4628-662: The freeze of political parties and the re-activation of the country's security system. On 14 February 2014, General Khalifa Haftar ordered the GNC to dissolve and called for the formation of a caretaker government committee to oversee new elections. However, his actions had little effect on the GNC, which called his actions "an attempted coup" and called Haftar himself "ridiculous" and labelled him an aspiring dictator. The GNC continued to operate as before. No arrests were made. Haftar launched Operation Dignity three months later on 16 May. On 25 May 2014, about one week after Khalifa Haftar started his "Operation Dignity" offensive against

4717-1285: The growing enthusiasm towards the reinstatement of the 1951 Constitution and the Constitutional Monarchy. He has consistently stressed that he would be honored to return and serve his country if the Libyan people demanded it. Second Libyan Civil War Ceasefire [REDACTED] [REDACTED] House of Representatives ( Tobruk -based) [REDACTED] Wagner Group (from 2018) [REDACTED] Egypt [REDACTED] United Arab Emirates [REDACTED]   Sudan ( RSF ) (from 2019) [REDACTED]   Syria (2020) [REDACTED]   Hezbollah ( allegedly, denied by LNA ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Government of National Accord ( Tripoli -based) (from 2016) [REDACTED]   Turkey ( 2020 ) [REDACTED] Syrian mercenaries (from 2019) [REDACTED] Popular Resistance Committees [REDACTED]   Hamas ( LNA claim, denied by Hamas ) [REDACTED] National Salvation Government (2014–2016) [REDACTED] Islamic State (from 2014) [REDACTED] Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries (2014–2017) [REDACTED] al-Qaeda in

4806-419: The hands of militias frequently goes unpunished. Cordaid also noted that restricted freedom of movement, driven by fear of violence, has led to declines in schooling among women and girls. The GNC failed to stand down at the end of its electoral mandate in January 2014, unilaterally voting on 23 December 2013 to extend its power for at least one year. This caused widespread unease and some protests. Residents of

4895-831: The head of GNA, arrived in Tripoli and began working from there despite opposition from GNC. In addition to those three factions, there are: the Islamist Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries , led by Ansar al-Sharia , which had the support of the GNC and was defeated in Benghazi in 2017; the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL's) Libyan provinces ; the Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna which expelled ISIL from Derna in July 2015 and

4984-508: The head of the GNA, is nominally the supreme commander of the GNA forces. The military is under the authority of the GNA Ministry of Defense, formerly led by Colonel Al-Mahdi Al-Barghathi from 2016 to 2018, at which point Sarraj took over as defense minister. During 2015–2018, the LNA under Haftar's control unified many militias into a regular hierarchical structure in the eastern part of Libya and used online social networks to present

5073-466: The house was determined on the basis of one deputy for twenty thousand people. Elections were held every four years unless parliament was dissolved earlier. The deputies were responsible for electing a speaker and two vice-speakers for the house. Following independence until 1963, the Kingdom was organised into three provinces: Tripolitania province , Cyrenaica province and Fezzan province , which are

5162-558: The idea of taking collective action to increase the price of oil on the world market. Libya, nonetheless, continued its close association with the West, while Idris' government steered an essentially conservative course at home. The monarchy came to an end on 1 September 1969 when a group of military officers led by Muammar Gaddafi staged a coup d'état against King Idris while he was in Turkey for medical treatment. The revolutionaries arrested

5251-479: The image of growing military and political power, while still remaining, as of November 2019, dominated by Salafist militias and foreign members. As of 2019, the LNA consisted of about 7000 regular soldiers and 18 000 militia and foreign members. Kingdom of Libya The Kingdom of Libya ( Arabic : المملكة الليبية , romanized :  Al-Mamlakah Al-Lībiyya , lit.   'Libyan Kingdom'; Italian : Regno di Libia ), known as

5340-414: The interim government for a continued lack of security in the country. The interim government struggled to control well-armed militias and armed groups that established during the revolution. Libyans in Benghazi especially began to witness assassinations and kidnapping and perceived the GNC to be turning a blind eye to the deteriorating security situation in the east. But security concerns increased across

5429-424: The law, as they generally had no associations to the Gaddafi regime, the law enjoyed strong public support. The law particularly impacts elite expatriates and leaders of liberal parties. There existed reservations that such a law would eliminate technocratic expertise needed in Libya at the time. Armed militiamen stormed government ministries, shut down the GNC itself and demanded the law's passage. This intimidated

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5518-408: The major cities across Libya. In general, growing interest in the viability and relevance of that solution both on the ground and internationally was recorded in February 2016 by Declan Walsh, a New York Times reporter who spent considerable time in Libya. The increasing volume of social media pages and activities on the subject has mirrored that trend. Prince Mohammed el-Senussi has acknowledged

5607-408: The old tricolour flag of the monarchy, some carried portraits of the king, and played the old national anthem Libya, Libya, Libya . Two of the surviving Senussi exiles were planning to return to Libya to support the protestors. The United Kingdom of Libya was a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with legislative power being exercised by the monarch in conjunction with parliament. The King

5696-402: The organizers reiterated the necessity to regard the 1951 Constitution as the sole means to achieve political reunification in Libya. Notably, on 4 June 2015 Daniel Kawczynski, a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in the British Parliament, published a piece advocating for the return of the 1951 Constitution as amended in 1963 in line with the growing grassroots support registered in

5785-400: The original heir apparent died, the king appointed his nephew, Prince Hasan ar Rida , his successor. When a group of young officers and soldiers in the Libyan Army seized power under the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi on 1 September 1969, the Crown Prince, who was then ruling the country on behalf of King Idris was imprisoned for two years and subsequently reduced to complete isolation during

5874-453: The part of the national parliament in Tobruk . The forces included ground forces divided between the GNA-led Libyan Army (including militia coalitions such as the Tripoli Protection Force ) and the LNA; the Libyan Air Force also divided between a GNA component and an LNA component; while the naval , and coast guard forces were mostly under GNA control with some coastal patrol boats under LNA control. Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj ,

5963-437: The popular vote in 2012 elections . The GNC was made of two major political groups, the National Forces Alliance (NFC) and the Justice and Construction Party (JCP). The two major groups in parliament had failed to reach political compromises on the larger more important issues that the GNC faced. Division among these parties, the row over the political isolation law, and a continuous unstable security situation greatly impacted

6052-489: The presence of the press and of his five children, Prince Mohammed was formally appointed as the legitimate heir to the throne of Libya. In its foreign policy, the Kingdom of Libya was recognized as belonging to the conservative traditionalist bloc in the League of Arab States , of which it became a member in 1953. The government was in close alliance with the United States and United Kingdom ; both countries maintained military base rights in Libya. The U.S. supported

6141-410: The primary role of training the Libyan Army, but the United States also contributed to training a 1,035-man contingent and was considering taking responsibility for training the entire army. The U.S. also supplied the Royal Libyan Air Force, coming to an agreement in May 1957 to supply Libya with 10 Northrop F-5s . A group of young officers and soldiers led by Muammar Gaddafi overthrew King Idris in

6230-405: The protection of human rights. Ultimately, the document established an institutional apparatus that promoted transparency and safeguards against antidemocratic power accumulation. In particular, the Constitution envisioned mechanisms to guarantee accountability in the exercise of public functions and equality of all Libyan citizens before the law. At the time it was produced, it was received as

6319-480: The reinstatement of the Senussi Monarchy under the leadership of Prince Mohammed el-Senussi as an attractive political option in Libya. The Movement for the Return of Constitutional Legitimacy and its affiliated groups in Libya advocate for the reinstatement of the 1951 Constitution and the return of the Senussi monarchy under Mohammed El Senussi's leadership. Interviewed by Al-Hayat in April 2014, then-Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Abdelaziz stated that

6408-635: The results of the 2014 election, but rejected them after the Supreme Constitutional Court nullified an amendment regarding the roadmap for Libya's transition and HoR elections. The House of Representatives (or Council of Deputies) is in control of eastern and central Libya and has the loyalty of the Libyan National Army (LNA), and has been supported by airstrikes by Egypt and the UAE . Due to controversy about constitutional amendments, HoR refused to take office from GNC in Tripoli, which

6497-432: The return of the Constitutional Monarchy within the institutional limits set up by the 1951 Constitution before the 1963 amendments could serve as a unifying symbol for the nation and a "political umbrella" that would guarantee the legitimacy of Libya's institutions in the face of calls for a federal solution and sectarian conflict. In July 2015, support to restore the implementation of the 1951 Constitution and to encourage

6586-696: The return of the Monarchy was publicly expressed by several members of the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA), the committee tasked with writing a new constitution, through a petition circulated through social media as well as through a formal letter issued by Ali Hussain Bubaker, then-mayor of Baida, an important city in the east of Libya. In August 2015 a Cyrenaican federalist party, the National Federal Bloc, asked

6675-454: The start of the Second Libyan Civil War in 2014, the Libyan armed forces, composed to a large degree of militias, have been partially led by the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli , while remaining highly divided between those nominally led by the GNA and those nominally led by Khalifa Haftar in command of the Libyan National Army (LNA) on behalf of

6764-477: The supreme court in Tripoli, dominated by the new GNC, declared the House of Representatives dissolved. The House of Representatives rejected this ruling as made "under threat". On 16 January 2015, the Operation Dignity and Operation Libya Dawn factions agreed on a ceasefire. The country was then led by two separate governments, with Tripoli and Misrata controlled by forces loyal to Libya Dawn and

6853-584: The three historic regions of Libya. Autonomy in the provinces was exercised through provincial governments and legislatures. Following a change in the constitution abolishing the federal makeup of the country in 1963 the three provinces were reorganised into ten governorates ( muhafazah in Arabic) which were ruled by an appointed governor. Since Muammar Gaddafi's four-decade rule ended in 2011, Libya has struggled to establish basic institutions and rule of law. The 1951 Constitution as amended in 1963 has been at

6942-435: The three provinces. Half of the senators were nominated by the king, who also had the right to veto legislation and to dissolve the lower house. Local autonomy in the provinces was exercised through provincial governments and legislatures. Tripoli and Benghazi served alternately as the national capital. The Constitution was drafted under the auspices of the United Nations , and was seen to include significant mechanisms for

7031-447: The vice presidents faced re-election. The term of office for a senator was eight years. A senator could not serve for consecutive terms but could be reappointed in the future. Half of all the senators were to be replaced every four years. Members of the House of Representatives were elected through universal suffrage following the constitutional change on 25 April 1963. Women had previously not been able to vote. The number of deputies in

7120-485: The younger Libyan generation that were influenced by the influx of Egyptian teachers into Libya. As one report suggests: The presence of Egyptian teachers explains why so many classrooms show the influence of Egyptian propaganda. Pupils do crayon drawings of Egyptian troops winning victories over Israel or Britain. In Benghazi, Libya, a complete course in Egyptian history is given to secondary school students. A display in

7209-669: Was controlled by armed Islamist groups from Misrata . Instead, HoR established its parliament in Tobruk, which is controlled by General Haftar's forces. In December 2015, the Libyan Political Agreement was signed after talks in Skhirat , as the result of protracted negotiations between rival political camps based in Tripoli, Tobruk, and elsewhere which agreed to unite as the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). On 30 March 2016, Fayez Sarraj ,

7298-414: Was defined by the constitution as the supreme head of state. Before he is able to assume constitutional powers the King would need to take an oath before a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives. All laws passed by Parliament of the Kingdom of Libya needed to be sanctioned and promulgated by the king. It was also the king's responsibility to open and close the sessions of Parliament, it

7387-495: Was formed, which was slated to remain in place until the next Libyan presidential election scheduled for 24 December that year. However, the election has been delayed several times since, effectively rendering the unity government in power indefinitely, causing tensions which threaten to reignite the war. At the beginning of 2014, Libya was governed by the General National Congress (GNC), which won

7476-526: Was headed by King Idris as chief of state, with succession to his designated male heirs (Art. 44 and 45 of the 1951 Constitution). Substantial political power resided with the king. The executive arm of the government consisted of a prime minister and Council of Ministers designated by the king but also responsible to the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of a bicameral legislature. The Senate , or upper house, consisted of eight representatives from each of

7565-469: Was later itself defeated in Derna by the Tobruk government in 2018; as well as other armed groups and militias whose allegiances often change. In May 2016, GNA and GNC launched a joint offensive to capture areas in and around Sirte from ISIL. This offensive resulted in ISIL losing control of all significant territories previously held in Libya. Later in 2016, forces loyal to Khalifa al-Ghawil attempted

7654-514: Was later renamed as the Kingdom of Libya in 1963. Under the Libyan monarchy, there existed a federal army and local provincial police forces. The U.S. State Department reported in 1957 that the army numbered 1,835 men, while the police forces had around 5,000–6,000. King Idris of Libya and his government relied on the police for internal security and were anxious to increase the size of the national army to 5,000 troops. The United Kingdom had

7743-463: Was renamed the Libyan Arab Republic . In 2013 the African Union commemorated King Idris' legacy as an African hero and the architect of Libya's independence from Italy's colonial rule in a public event. In fact, Idris remains widely regarded as the father of an independent and unified Libya who led the country through its resistance to the colonial powers. As a quiet but firm ruler, he played

7832-557: Was split into LNA and GNA controlled components. The naval and coast guard forces were mostly under GNA control. with some coastal patrol boats under LNA control. In 2021, all the armed forces branches (except for the Haftar's forces) were under command of the new President of Libya, Mohamed al-Menfi from Government of National Unity after the Second Libyan Civil War ceasefire. The United Kingdom of Libya officially gained its independence from Italy on 24 December 1951. The kingdom

7921-555: Was tasked with providing security. He set up the Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (LROR), which was made up of rebels from Gharyan , and was initially intended to protect and secure Tripoli in August 2013. Its commander was Adel Gharyani. During this time, Abusahmain blocked inquiries into the distribution of state funds and it was alleged that Abusahmain was channeling government funding towards

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