Published on Aug 9, 2012 by NHKReloaded : Libya's transitional council has handed over power to a newly elected assembly, marking the first peaceful power transfer in the country's modern history.
The National Transitional Council, which has ruled Libya since last year's ouster of Muammar al-Qadhafi, was dissolved in a late-night ceremony in Tripoli on Wednesday.
Council chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil declared that the assembly is now the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people.
The assembly was elected in July in the country's first national poll held 60 years. Libya was without a constitution or legislature under the autocratic rule of Qadhafi, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1969.
The assembly will be tasked with advancing the country's democratization process towards the launch of a full government in one year's time. It will be naming a prime minister and drafting a new constitution.
However many things are still unclear. Political parties are scrambling to form alliances with independent candidates in a fight for leadership in the assembly.
Also, it has yet to be decided how to choose members of the panel drafting a constitution.
Another challenge is the country's volatile security, especially in Benghazi and other eastern areas. Aug. 9, 2012
