Transitional Council Hands Over Power

Libya’s National Transitional Council handed over power on Wednesday to the General National Congress, the 200 person national assembly that was elected last month. The congress is the country’s first body to be formed in free elections in over 47 years, and the handover marked the first peaceful government transition since before Muammar Gaddafi took over in 1969. After the handover, the National Transitional Council’s Chairman announced that the General National Congress was now the “sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people.” The Congress will have 30 days from its first official session to appoint a new prime minister and it must also oversee the drafting of a new constitution.