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Official country name: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Republic

Area: 679,362 sq miles (1,759,540 sq km)

Population: 6 million, including some 500,000 non-Libyan, sub-Saharan Africans working in Libya (2006 est.)

Median age: 23.3

Ethnic Groups: Arab-Berber 97 percent; the remaining 3 percent includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians.

GDP and GDP per capita: $51 billion and $8,470 (2006 estimates) Government and Politics: Libya is an absolute dictatorship under the control of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi since Sept. 1969. Various committees and congresses are in place, including the parliamentary General People's Congress. But there are no elections and no political parties, and the state derives its ideology from Qaddafi's Green Book, a collection of his sayings and philosophies loosely based on an amalgam of socialism, economics, Islamic law and Qaddafi's idea of socio-anthropology (quote: "As the man does not get pregnant, he is not liable to the feebleness which woman, being female, suffers"). Religion: Libya is 97 percent Sunni Muslim. Qaddafi controls the country's mosques and Islamic institutions such as Islamic schools. He promotes a conservative form of Islam based on his belief that modern believers have strayed from Islam's original tenets. But he opposes extremist or fundamentalist Islam, considering it a threat to his power. Small communities of Christians, Hindus, Baha'is and Buddhists, usually foreigners working in Libya, are allowed to practice their faith unless the government suspects the practice to be politically motivated. Economy: Oil and gas account for 95 percent of Libyan export revenue, 75 percent of its government revenue and 30 percent of the country's total economic output. Agriculture accounts for 18 percent of Libya's economy, but the country must import most of its food. Gypsum, iron ore, potassium, magnesium, sulphur and phosphate mining, the iron and steel industries and construction account for other shares of the economy. Most of the economy is nationalized. Tourism is growing rapidly. Military: All men and women who reach 18 theoretically are to be conscripted in the Libyan military. In practice, however, many men aren't educated enough to participate, and many women simply don't. Globalsecurity.com estimates that 45,000 soldiers serve in the Libyan army, including 25,000 draftees, and 25,000 in the Libyan air force. until a $400 million arms deal with France in 2007, the military has been mostly furnished by the former Soviet Union. Human Rights, Civil Rights and Media: While Libya has released some political prisoners, including 86 members of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2006, others remain in prison for violating Law 17, which forbids political activity at variance with the government's ideology. One man (Fathi al-Jahmi) has been in prison since 2004 for slandering Qaddafi and faces execution. There is no freedom of association or freedom of expression, and no free press, although the government only occasionally blocks web sites critical of the regime, which are numerous. History: Libyan history dates back to ancient times, when Egyptian influence spilled over and influenced local tribes. With Egypt's decline, Phoenicians settled the Libyan coast, then Greeks, then Romans, and beginning in the 7th century, invaders from the Arab peninsula, who brought Islam. Ottoman rule after the 16th century never took hold too firmly, and from 1711 to 1835 an independent, indigenous dynasty started by Ahman Qaramanli ruled until Ottomans again regained control, followed by Italians in 1911. Libya got its independence in 1952. Co. Muammar el-Qaddafi assumed power in a coup in 1969. Current Issues: After sponsoring terrorism and meddling into numerous other countries' affairs in the 1970s and 1980s, and spending the 1990s isolated from a United Nations-sanctioned embargo, Libya sought rehabilitation early in the 21st century. It formally renounced terrorism in 2003 in a letter to the United Nations Security Council. It renounced plans to acquire nuclear weapons. It's been courting foreign investment and tourism with limited success, but Qaddafi's Libya remains a closed society. Politics of Libyatakes place in a framework of a dual government structure in Libya. The "revolutionary sector" comprises Revolutionary Leader Muammar al-Gaddafi (who is suddenly going to be referred to as "Qadhafi" later in the article and you'd be left to speculate that it was the same person if it weren't for this note), the Revolutionary Committees, and the remaining members of the 12-person Revolutionary Command Council, which was established in 1969. The historical revolutionary leadership is not elected and cannot be voted out of office, as they are in power by virtue of their involvement in the revolution. The revolutionary sector dictates the decision-making power of the second sector, the "Jamahiriya Sector". Making up the legislative branch of government, this sector comprises Local People's Congresses in each of the 1,500 urban wards, 32 Sha'biyat People's Congresses for the regions, and the National General People's Congress. These legislative bodies are represented by corresponding executive bodies (Local People's Committees, Sha'biyat People's Committees and the National General People's Committee/Cabinet). Libya has no formal constitution.[1] The country's political system is theoretically based on the political philosophy in Muammar al-Gaddafi's Green Book, which combines socialist and Islamic theories and rejects parliamentary democracy and political parties.[1] In reality, Qadhafi exercises near total control over the government.[1] For the first 7 years following the revolution, Colonel Qadhafi and 12 fellow army officers, the Revolutionary Command Council, began a complete overhaul of Libya's political system, society, and economy. On 2 March 1977, Qadhafi convened a General People's Congress (GPC) to proclaim the establishment of "people's power," change the country's name to the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, and to vest, theoretically, primary authority in the GPC. Today, the official name of the country of Libya is Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma. Qadhafi remained the de facto chief of state and secretary general of the GPC until 1980, when he gave up his office. He continues to control all aspects of the Libyan Government through direct appeals to the masses, a pervasive security apparatus, and powerful revolutionary committees. Although he holds no formal office, Qadhafi exercises absolute power with the assistance of a small group of trusted advisers, who include relatives from his home base in the Sirt region, which lies between the rival provinces of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica. After the revolution, Qadhafi took increasing control of the government, but he also attempted to achieve greater popular participation in local government. In 1973, he announced the start of a "cultural revolution" in schools, businesses, industries, and public institutions to oversee administration of those organizations in the public interest. The March 1977 establishment of "people's power" -with mandatory popular participation in the selection of representatives to the GPC- was the culmination of this process. In the 1980s, competition grew between the official Libyan Government and military hierarchies and the revolutionary committees. An abortive coup attempt in May 1984 apparently mounted by Libyan exiles with internal support, led to a short-lived reign of terror in which thousands were imprisoned and interrogated. An unknown number were executed. Qadhafi used the revolutionary committees to search out alleged internal opponents following the coup attempt, thereby accelerating the rise of more radical elements inside the Libyan power hierarchy. In 1988, faced with rising public dissatisfaction with shortages in consumer goods and setbacks in Libya's war with Chad, Qadhafi began to curb the power of the revolutionary committees and to institute some domestic reforms. The regime released many political prisoners and eased restrictions on foreign travel by Libyans. Private businesses were again permitted to operate. In the late 1980s, Qadhafi began to pursue an anti-Fundamentalist Islamic policy domestically, viewing fundamentalism as a potential rallying point for opponents of the regime. Ministerial positions and military commanders are frequently shuffled or placed under temporary house arrest to diffuse potential threats to Qadhafi's authority. Despite these measures, internal dissent continues. Qadhafi's security forces launched a preemptive strike at alleged coup plotters in the military and among the Warfallah tribe in October 1993. Widespread arrests and government reshufflings followed, accompanied by public "confessions" from regime opponents and allegations of torture and executions. The military, once Qadhafi's strongest supporters, became a potential threat in the 1990s. In 1993, following a failed coup attempt that implicated senior military officers, Qadhafi began to purge the military periodically, eliminating potential rivals and inserting his own loyal followers in their place. Main office holders Office Name Party SinceRevolutionary Leader Muammar al-Gaddafi 1 September 1969 Head of state Miftah Muhammed K'eba 3 March 2008 Secretary-General of the General People's Committee Baghdadi Mahmudi March 2006 Every four years the membership of the Local People's Congresses elects by acclamation both their own leadership and secretaries for the People's Committees, sometimes after many debates and a critical vote. The leadership of the Local People's Congress represents the local congress at the People's Congress of the next level and has an imperative mandate. The members of the National General People's Congress elect the members of the National General People's Committee (the Cabinet) by acclamation at their annual meeting. The most recent meeting, which took place in Sirt from 8 January-12 January 2005, was the 29th annual. While there is discussion regarding who will run for executive offices, only those approved by the revolutionary leadership are actually elected. The government administration is effective as long as it operates within the directives of the revolutionary leadership. The revolutionary leadership has absolute veto power despite the constitutionally established people's democracy and alleged rule of the people. The government controls both state-run and semi-autonomous media, and any articles critical of current policies have been requested and intentionally placed by the revolutionary leadership itself, for example, as a means of initiating reforms. In cases involving a violation of "these taboos", the private press, like The Tripoli Post, has been censored. The General People's Congress (Mu'tammar al-sha'ab al 'âmm) consists out of circa 2700 representatives of the Basis People's Congresses. The GPC is the legislative forum that interacts with the General People's Committee, whose members are secretaries of Libyan ministries. It serves as the intermediary between the masses and the leadership and is composed of the secretariats of some 600 local "basic popular congresses." The GPC secretariat and the cabinet secretaries are appointed by the GPC secretary general and confirmed by the annual GPC congress. These cabinet secretaries are responsible for the routine operation of their ministries. Political parties were banned by the Prohibition of Party Politics Act Number 71 of 1972. According to the Association Act of 1971, the establishment of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is allowed. As they are required to conform to the goals of the revolution, however, the number of NGOs in Libya is small in comparison with neighboring countries. Unions do not exist as such. However, the numerous professional associations are integrated into the state structure as a third pillar, along with the People's Congresses and Committees, though they do not have the right to strike. Professional associations send delegates to the General People's Congress, where they have a representative mandate. The General People's Congress (Mu'tammar al-sha'ab al 'âmm) consists out of circa 2700 representatives of the Basis People's Congresses. The Libyan court system consists of four levels: summary courts, which try petty offenses, the courts of first instance, which try more serious crimes; the courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court, which is the final appellate level. The GPC appoints justices to the Supreme Court. Special "revolutionary courts" and military courts operate outside the court system to try political offenses and crimes against the state. Libya's justice system is nominally based on Sharia law. GOVERNMENT: · Type of Government: -------------- Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, government by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship. · Independence: -------------- December 24, 1951 (from Italy) · President: -------------- Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Gadhafi · Head of Government: ------------ Secretary of the General People's Committee (Premier) Ahmad Muhammad al-Manqush

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