Libya will see the first peaceful transition of power in
decades as the interim NTC govt hands over its powe
(CNN) -- Libya's National Transitional
Council handed over power Wednesday to the General National
Congress, the national assembly formed by last month's
elections.
The ceremony
in a conference center in Tripoli marked the country's first
peaceful government transition since before Moammar Gadhafi
seized power in 1969.
Wednesday's
event was held on the 20th day of Ramadan, a date chosen to
mark the anniversary of the start of the liberation of the
capital city from Gadhafi's grip.
NTC Chairman
Mustafa Abdul Jalil and the oldest member of the body,
Mohammed Ali Salim, signed documents marking the event.
Jalil then walked to the microphone and announced that the
NTC had handed over the "constitutional powers of running
the country" and that the GNC was, from that moment, the
"sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people."
As he spoke,
the crowd rose to its feet and broke out in cheers, with
some chanting "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is Great!") Others
chanted a line that had become famous during the revolution:
"The blood of martyrs will not go wasted!"
Many cried at
the empowerment of the new assembly, which represents the
country's first body formed in a free and fair election in
more than 47 years.
Interim Prime
Minister Abdul Rahim al-Kib appeared moved as he hugged
Jalil.
The special
representative of the secretary general of the United
Nations to Libya, Ian Martin, smiled as Jalil announced the
handover.
Members of
the 200-person body took the oath of office en masse, and
Jalil told them what they already knew: they face major
challenges in security and disarmament.
Militias who
helped oust Gadhafi continue to operate without government
oversight, still hold thousands of detainees and continue to
carry out arbitrary detentions.
Libya rebels move onto Syrian battlefield
On Sunday,
unknown individuals attacked the residence of the
International Committee of the Red Cross in Misrata. None of
the seven staff members inside the building at the time of
the attack was hurt, but the building suffered extensive
damage, the ICRC said in a statement.
The attack
marked the fifth in less than three months against the ICRC
in Misrata and Benghazi and led Ishfaq Muhamed Khan, the
head of the ICRC's delegation in Libya, to suspend
operations in those two cities.
In addition,
a bomb exploded Saturday in central Tripoli in what
officials said was a local dispute.
And last
week, a bomb exploded near a security headquarters building
in Benghazi. Officials reported defusing two other bombs
around that time, including one found in the basement of the
Tibesti Hotel, which is frequented by government officials,
foreign delegations and nationals.
It was not
clear when the GNC's first official meeting would be held.
One of its
first jobs will be to elect a speaker and deputies. It will
have 30 days from its first official session to appoint a
prime minister. It is also tasked with overseeing the
drafting of a constitution.
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