Libya’s elected congress due to take power early August

TRIPOLI, July 29, 2012 (AFP) –

Libya’s interim authorities will formally transfer power to the newly elected General National Congress in the second week of August, a senior official told AFP on Sunday.

“August 8 is expected to be the date on which power is transferred from the National Transitional Council (NTC) to the General National Congress,” said Othman Ben Sassi, a member of the outgoing NTC.

Ben Sassi said that the handover would be marked by a “symbolic ceremony” and that the 200-seat congress would formally start working a day or two later, when all the members meet for their first session.

An official of the country’s electoral commission said details of the transition are still being hammered out but that the congress’s first meeting is expected around August 9.

Libyans on July 7 participated in the country’s first free elections since a popular revolt, which escalated into a civil war and drew the intervention of NATO and regional powers, toppled long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

They elected a 200-member legislative assembly, comprising party and independent representatives, which will lead the country through a transition period until fresh elections can be held on the basis of a new constitution.