[ 2012-10-15 ]

Ali Zidan defected from the Gaddafi regime

Ali Zidan elected Libya's new prime minister
Libya's national congress has elected a new prime
minister, Ali Zidan.

Mr Zidan, an independent, won 93 votes - a
majority among those present. He beat a candidate
favoured by the Justice and Construction party -
which is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The president of the national assembly, announcing
his victory, asked Mr Zidan to propose a cabinet
within two weeks.

The previous PM, Mustafa Abu Shagur, was dismissed
a week ago after failing to form a government.

Mr Zidan was a career diplomat for Colonel Muammar
Gaddafi before defecting in 1980 and joining the
opposition in exile.

Local observers see him as a liberal with a strong
personality, says the BBC's Rana Jawad in
Tripoli.

He served the former transitional government as
its Europe envoy, and was seen as a key player in
convincing the ex-French President, Nicolas
Sarkozy, to support the uprising against Colonel
Gaddafi.

His election comes at a critical time, with
security still not established across the country
and western Libya seeing outbreaks of renewed
violence, our correspondent adds.

Source - BBC

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