Tripoli, 9 February 2013:
Political parties meeting in Benghazi have united in a demand for wide-ranging government action, following a meeting with . . .[restrict]the President Mohamed Magarief and Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.
In a statement issued today, Saturday, the parties lambasted the Congress and the government for what they characterised as their mismanagement and lack of action, saying that this was “ leading the country into an abyss of extremism and anarchy”, according to the Libyan news agency LANA.
The parties demanded that a range of measures be put in place quickly. These include a timetable from Congress for the completion of the constitutional drafting process and a speedy issuance of the Local Administration law, mandating the formation of municipal councils and giving them the financial and material resources to carry out their work.
They also demanded a law to criminalise the carrying of weapons and urged the Ministry of the Interior to speed up all arrangements to improve security.
Despite their criticism, the parties called on Libyans to stand “firmly and strongly” in defence of the Congress and the government and to defend national unity and territorial integrity. [/restrict]
