BENGHAZI: Hundreds of people have marched in Benghazi calling for a shake-up of Libya’s new leadership while nascent political groups have challenged the country’s interim rulers in a memorandum, saying their governance plan does not meet the people’s demands.
The Benghazi residents marched from a charred compound of former leader Muammar Gaddafi on Friday, singing ”the first martyrs were from Benghazi” and criticising what they called ”climbers” and ”opportunists” in the new leadership.
”Some of the executive committee are blood-suckers and thieves and we keep seeing them on TV. They should be in court,” said Shukri, a middle-aged auditor, referring to the country’s cabinet, which has been officially dissolved but in practice still exists. The memorandum, signed by 56 political organisations, mostly from eastern parts of the country, highlights the political divisions emerging over Libya’s future just two weeks after Gaddafi’s ouster.
The memorandum says the ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) plan contains contradictions and should not be used as the road map for governance in a post-Gaddafi era.
Under the existing plan, the NTC would resign and leave the country to two more consecutive interim governments for the transitional period set to last for 18 months from Libya’s official liberation from Gaddafi’s rule.
The signatories of the memorandum instead support continuity of the political process with one interim government ruling until the first election.
”This (constitutional) declaration does not express the desires of the street nor the wishes of the liberal people,” the memorandum, seen by Reuters, said. NTC vice-chairman and spokesman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga confirmed the government had received the document.
He said the NTC could not consider it until the last pro-Gaddafi bastions are brought under its control. Anti-Gaddafi fighters advanced on these holdout towns on Friday. (UNI)
