TRIPLOI — Ali Zidan, a former rebel-in-exile, has been elected the new prime minister of Libya, just one week after the previous incumbent, Mustafa Abushagur, was dismissed by the National Congress in a vote of no confidence. Zidan beat his rival Mohammed Al-Harari in a close-fought race, taking 93 votes to 85 in the Congress, with 179 members in attendance. One ballot was spoiled. A former diplomat, Zidan was an outspoken opponent of Gaddafi for several decades before playing a significant role helping to mobilize international support for last year's pro-democracy revolution. Having been elected to Congress on an independent ticket in August, Zidan resigned from the post just a few days ago in order to run for the premiership. He previously stood unsuccessfully for election as speaker of Congress, losing out to Mohamed Magarief by 85 votes to 113. The two men have worked together before. In the late 1970s, Zidan was a diplomat at the Libyan embassy in India under then-ambassador Magarief. In 1980, both men announced their defection and went on to oppose Gaddafi in the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, which Magarief led. Zidan enjoyed the broad support of the National Forces Alliance, who also backed him in the speaker's race, as well as a number of independents. Harari, who also had strong independent support, is known to have been the favored candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood. He will now have two weeks to submit his Cabinet, and it remains to be decided whether Congress will choose to maintain the same system of ratification as previously, in which every name on the list had to be voted on individually. The National Congress' voting Sunday night comes after Abushagur lost a no confidence vote a few days ago and failed to from a cabinet. Zidan told a news conference he would focus on restoring security to Libya. “The security file will be my top most priority because all the problems that Libya suffers from stems from security issues. The government will be an emergency government to solve the crises that the country is going through.” Though Zidan has the support of the leading liberal coalition, also suggested that he was ready to take into account the views of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood in his government. “Islam is our belief system and the source for any jurisprudence, and anything against sharia is refused,” he said. Gaddafi kept Libya broadly secular, but the uprising which toppled him has paved the way for the emergence of both Islamist and more secular factions, as well as opening up tribal and regional divisions in the North African country. — Agencies
