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By Taziz Hasairi.
Zuwara, 17 September 2015:
On 30 . . .[restrict]August, Amazigh voters in a number of west Libyan towns, including Tripoli where there is large Amazigh community, went to the polls to elect a new Amazign Supreme Council, or at least most of it.
The council was finally created in January 2013 to advocate for Amazigh community but until now was self-appointed.
Up for grabs were two seats each (one for a male candidate, the other for a female) from the towns of Zuwara, Nalut, Kabaw, Yefren, Al-Qala, Rahibat, Wazin, and Jadu, and one seat each from Tamzin and Garigan on account of their populations being smaller in number. A third seat from each the eight larger towns was set aside for a municipal councillor selected by his colleagues the same day, making at total of 26 seats on the Supreme Council.
Election day was largely a success. In Zuwara, Nalut, Al-Qala and Jadu male and female councillors were chosen and the single male councillor in Tamzin, although in Yefren, Kabau and Wazin only a male councillor was elected. There were no women candidates. There was no candidate either in Garigen either while in Rahibat, better known as Tandimmira to the Amazigh, the election was postponed because of security concerns.
But in Tripoli Amazigh voters chose candidates in their home towns.
Altogether so far, the council has 19 members, none of them members of the outgoing body. A second round of elections to fill the other seven seats will be held at a date next month, so far unannounced.
Until then, there will be no elections for the leadership of the Amazigh Supreme Council and the old council will effectively continue in office.
Elected by the public so far:
- Galaa (40-percent turnout of 1600 registered): Siham ben Talib and Emhamid Talib
- Jadu (95-percent turnout of 1000 registered): Asma Aaka and Hisham Ahmadi
- Kabau (30-percent turnout of 900 registered) no women candidates: Aburawi Al-Hijaj
- Nalut (50-percent turnout of 300 resisted): Fatima Shalbak and Khairi ben Talib.
- Tamzin, single seat: Mohamed Imbarak
- Wazin (40-percent turnout of 600 registered), no women candidates: Mohammed Ali
- Yefren (35-percent turnout of 1000 registered) no women candidates: Ali Abudaya
- Zuwara (where there was an 80-percent turnout of the three thousand registered voters): Khairi Al-Hamissi and Siham ben Khalifa.
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