By Mark McMurray
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

TRIPOLI, Libya — On Wednesday, Libya’s interim National Transitional Council (NTC) handed over power to the new national assembly elected in July.  The transfer of power comes almost a year after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.

At the late-night ceremony in Tripoli, NTC head Mustafa Abdul Jalil symbolically passed the reins to Mohammed Ali Salim, the oldest member of the 200-seat legislature.  Jalil, speaking at the event, acknowledged the failure of the NTC to restore security in the country.  He added that the NTC governed in “exceptional times” and “mistakes” had been made.

“The National Transitional Council hands over the constitutional duties for leading the state to the general national congress, which from now on is the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people,” Jalil said.

The NTC served as the political arm of the opposition forces that toppled Gaddafi.  Formed in the midst of the revolution last year, the NTC was dissolved on Wednesday.

After the ceremony, the assembly held its first meeting, but did not appoint a leader at that time.  On Monday, assembly members informally agreed to choose a new prime minister and two deputy chiefs within a week.  The new prime minister will select his government, enact laws, and direct the country until full parliamentary elections occur subsequent to the drafting of a new constitution next year.

Elected on July 7 in Libya’s first free and fair polls in years, the assembly is made up of a mixture of political parties and independent candidates.  Of the its 200 seats, 80 belong to political parties, while the remaining 120 are held by independents of varying allegiances.  Mahmoud Jibril, who previously served as the country’s interim prime minister, heads a mostly secular liberal coalition known as the National Forces Alliance (NFA).  Holding 39 of the 80 party slots, the NFA has more seats than any other group.  The NFA’s Islamist rivals, the Justice and Construction Party (JCP)–which acts as the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing–holds 17 seats.

The NFA and the JCP are in a struggle to have influence over the assembly.  With important decisions requiring a two-thirds majority of the assembly, the two major parties are both maneuvering to form coalitions with independents and smaller parties.  Some independents have expressed interest in forming their own coalitions, as they distrust both the NFA and JCP.

The peaceful transfer of authority was the first in Libya’s modern history.  Wednesday’s date, corresponding to 20 Ramadan in the Islamic calendar, served a symbolic purpose.  20 Ramadan last year was August 20, the date when rebels forced Gaddafi to flee Tripoli.

For further information, please see:

BBC News – Libya’s NTC Hands Power to Newly Elected Assembly – 9 August 2012

Christian Science Monitor – Libya Celebrates First Peaceful Transition of Power – 9 August 2012

Libya Herald – NTC Reign Ends as Race for Power in National Congress Begins – 9 August 2012

Tripoli Post – Libya NTC Hands Power to National Congress, Chairman to be Elected Soon – 9 August 2012