Shortly before the voting, Libya’s Grand Mufti issued a religious edict prohibiting Libyans from voting for secularists
(AP) TRIPOLI, Libya – Libya’s first nationwide elections in nearly five decades brought hints Sunday of an Arab Spring precedent: Western-leaning parties making strides over Islamist rivals hoping to follow the same paths to power as in neighbors Egypt and Tunisia. While final results from Saturday’s parliamentary election could still be days away under a two-tier selection system, unofficial and partial counts from Libya’s biggest cities suggested liberal factions were leading the Muslim Brotherhood and allies in a possible first major setback to their political surge following last year’s uprisings. If the Libyan trend holds which is still far from certain it would challenge the narrative of rising Islamist power since the fall of Western-allied regimes from Tunis to Cairo. It also could display the different political dynamics in Libya, where tribal loyalties run deep and groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood at times cooperated with the rule of Muammar Qaddafi. “Anyone with past ties with old regime is hated, even despised,” said Fathi al-Fadhali, a pro-Islamist Libyan political analyst who lived in exile for 30 years. “Any political names associated with the regime are immediately politically burnt by that association.” Ultimately, the 200-seat parliament will face the task of forming a government which could become tests of strength for Islamists and secular forces over questions such as women’s rights, the extent of traditional Islamic law...
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