Libya’s transitional government declares liberation.
Posted Oct 23, 2011 11:18:49 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — With dictator Moammar Gadhafi dead, Libya’s new rulers have declared liberation Sunday, formally ending an eight-month-old civil war and ushering in a two-year transition to democracy fraught with uncertainty.
Indecision over what to do with Gadhafi’s remains overshadowed what was to be a joyful day. The 69-year-old was captured alive Thursday, then taunted, beaten and killed in unclear circumstances in his hometown of Sirte. His body has been on public display in a commercial freezer in a shopping center in the port city of Misrata.
Libyans seemed relieved the country’s ruler of 42 years was killed, with many saying his death cleared the way for a new beginning. “If he (Gadhafi) was taken to court, this would create more chaos, and would encourage his supporters,” said Salah Zlitni, 31, who owns a pizza parlor in downtown Tripoli. “Now it’s over.”
The long-awaited declaration starts the clock on Libya’s transition to democracy. The transitional leadership has said it would declare a new interim government within a month of liberation and elections for a constitutional assembly within eight months, to be followed by parliamentary and presidential elections within a year.
