Libya to get new constitution
2007-08-21 08:34
Benghazi - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi late on Monday outlined a planned new constitution for Libya, while emphasising that his father was among the "red lines" that could not be changed.
Gaddafi said: "Our next challenge is to set up a series of laws, which we can call constitution or social contract or something else. The important thing is to have a contract that will organise the lives of Libyans."
He was speaking in Benghazi, 1 000km east of Tripoli.
He said: "First, there are red lines that we must reach agreement on", quoting in order: "Islam and application of sharia law, security and stability in Libya, unity of the national territory, and Muammar Gaddafi."
The laws should guarantee the independence of the Libyan central bank, the high court, the media and civil society, Gaddafi told a crowd of more than 40 000 assembled in a big square in Libya's second city.
Libya to celebrate 37th anniversary
He called for a "national dialogue embracing all the Libyan people to reach the ideal formula as soon as possible" to draw up a constitution, while expressing backing for the "direct democracy" preached by his father.
Libya would on September 01 celebrate the 37th anniversary of the overthrow of the Senussi monarchy by a group of "free officers" headed by Colonel Gaddafi. He abolished the 1951 constitution, which made Libya a constitutional monarchy.
A short temporary constitution was replaced in 1977 by a four-article "Declaration on setting up the power of the people".
Muammar Gaddafi's son emphasised the need to widen the political dialogue beyond those committees. Political debate had been banned in Libya outside that framework.
He also called for strengthening the power of the prime minister so that he could choose his ministers - something the people's committees had done up to now.
On the economic front, Gaddafi junior welcomed the results of his reforms launched last year, saying that several development projects had been started in Libya at a cost of 60 billion euros.
In his televised speech he showed more moderation than in another speech a year ago in which he broke a taboo by denying that a "people's power" existed in Libya as laid down in his father's "Green Book" of political thought.
In that speech, he lashed out at the "mafia" of bureaucrats opposed to political or economic reforms.