Guardian live-blog reporting that Dr Mustafa Abushagur is the new Prime Minister of Libya and he has dual citizenship US/Libyan. This may be the best news of today, it's breaking, but this seems to be correct:
Dr Mustafa Abushagur is the new Prime Minister of Libya, the first PM to be appointed by the democratically elected General National Congress after it took power last month. He is a liberal, and replaces Abdurrahim el-Keib who was the caretaker Prime Minister leftover by the National Transitional Council after they handed over power in August.
The vote just happened so no article yet. He beat Mahmoud Jibril, leader of the liberal National Forces Alliance and wartime interim Prime Minister by 2 votes. The Muslim Brotherhood's candidate was defeated in the first round, receiving 41 votes to Abushagur's 55 and Jibril's 86. Abushagur had been the liberals' preferred candidate, until Jibril made a surprise late entry into the race.
Abushagur's government will run Libya for about 18 months, while a constituent assembly works on Libya's permanent constitution. Once the constitution passes a referendum, general elections will be held and Libya's political reconstruction will be largely complete. Congress will spend the coming days appointing Abushagur's cabinet ministers, after which the constituent assembly will presumably be their next priority.
http://facepunch.com/...
I'm just learning about him; apparently, he supports women's rights, good sign.
Muslim Brotherhood comes in third.
Born in 1951 in Suq Al-Juma, now a suburb or Tripoli, but then a village well outside the capital, he moved with his family to Ghariyan as a child and then returned to Suq AL-Juma for schooling. He went on to the University of Tripoli to study electrical engineering.
In 1975, he moved to the US to study at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for his MSc and then a PhD which he gained in 1984. Refusing to return to the Libya of Muammar Qaddafi — he soon became involved in Libyan student opposition politics in the US — he became an academic, first at University of Rochester in 1984 then in 1985 at the University of Alabama in Huntsville where ten years later he became the Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. There he made his mark as a world-class optical engineer. It resulted in his working for NASA on the US space programme, the US National Science Foundation, the Federal Aviation Authority and the Department of Defense. Later he established two optical companies and the PhD Program in Microsystems Engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He set up and became president of RIT’s campus in Dubai in 2008. He has written extensively of optics, including some 100 academic papers.
After an absence of 31 years, he returned to Libya in May 2011, to Benghazi where he became an adviser to the NTC. He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister last November.
http://www.shabablibya.org/...
What an ironic 48 hours?
I hope I'm not to bold to say thank you Ambassador Stevens and staff for helping what appears to be the best transition to democracy from the the Arab Spring so far.
Update Hat Tip to icemilkcoffee
Dr. Abushagur wrote the following message on his Facebook page about Stevens:
"Ambassador Chris Stevens was a dear friend of mine, and of Libya, and played a key role in helping our revolution. He was in Benghazi throughout the revolution and was very instrumental in its support. The men and women serving at the United States Consulate were allies in our shared fight for freedom and democracy. I am shocked at the attacks on the United States Consulate in Benghazi. I condemn these barbaric acts in the strongest possible terms. This is an attack on America, Libya and free people everywhere.
There is never any justification for this type of action. There must and will be consequences. Those who were involved at all levels must be found and punished. These actions run counter to the very foundations of free Libya, of democracy, and of Islam. They are reprehensible.
Our revolution is not complete simply because Gaddafi is gone. Our revolution will be complete when our state institutions are strong, when heavy arms are in the hands of only the government and when our streets are safe to all - both to Libyans and to our honored guests. The government cannot do this alone - I call on all true Libyans to hand in their weapons, and to work together to make a better Libya for all. Our shared security is the bedrock of our freedom. This kind of shameful behavior - mobs using force on their own accord - cannot happen again, no matter the target or motivation.
My deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of those unjustly lost last night, and to all Americans."