1952 Libyan General Election
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General elections were held in
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
to elect the House of Representatives on 19 February 1952,The Libyan economy: economic diversification and international repositioning
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except in three constituencies in
Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...
, where the elections were delayed until March after rioters destroyed the electoral register on election day."Police Open Fire In Libya Election Disturbances", ''The Times'', 21 February 1952, p6, Issue 52241 They were the first elections in the country's history."Polling In Libya To-Day First Election, Western Bases As A Factor", ''The Times'', 19 February 1952, p4, Issue 52239


Electoral system

Voting was restricted to sane and solvent men over the age of 21, and did not allow for secret balloting, except in urban areas. They elected 55 members to the Lower House of the Parliament in single member constituencies. The constituencies were divided into urban areas and rural areas; in the urban areas voters were given a ballot paper, which they dropped into the coloured ballot box of their candidate, whilst in rural areas voters were asked who they supported and their answer recorded by registering officer, with a committee of observers as witnesses. The committee included a returning officer, a judge and a notable person from the constituency. The
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
turned down a proposal that it should monitor the elections.


Campaign and election day

A total of 141 candidates contested the election, most of whom ran as independents. There were two opposing groups; one supportive of Prime Minister
Mahmud al-Muntasir Mahmud al-Muntasir () (8 August 1903 – 28 September 1970) was the first Prime minister of Libya from March 29, 1951 to February 19, 1954, and again from January 20, 1964 to March 20, 1965. He was also the Minister of Foreign Affairs during his ...
, and one led by the
Congress Party The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
headed by Beshir Bey Sadawi. The Congress Party was largely focussed on opposition to foreign influence in Libya, despite receiving financial support from
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
. It also claimed that voting for pro-government candidates would lead to voters effectively excommunicating themselves from the
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic faith. The Prime Minister called on voters to elect the candidate most likely to help implement the government's 19-point programme. On election day one person was killed and a British police officer was injured following exchanges of fire between a crowd of people and the police in
Misrata Misrata ( ; also spelled Misurata or Misratah; ar, مصراتة, Miṣrāta ) is a city in the Misrata District in northwestern Libya, situated to the east of Tripoli and west of Benghazi on the Mediterranean coast near Cape Misrata. With ...
, and several people were also hospitalised after the police used
tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...
. The violence broke out after the crowd was told that their requests for a Congress Party candidate to be present in the polling booth was illegal."Libya Goes To The Poll Some Incidents Reported", ''The Times'', 20 February 1952, p3, Issue 52240 Similar protests occurred in
Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...
.


Results and aftermath

As expected, the Congress Party were victorious in
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
, but pro-government candidates won all other seats. The Congress Party won a total of eight seats, whilst the majority of seats were held by pro-government independents."News in Brief", ''The Times'', 8 March 1952, p5, Issue 52255 Following the election, rioting broke out, resulting in all political parties being banned. Sadawi was deported to Egypt, along with his brother, nephew and some other supporters, whilst the Congress Party secretary was deported to his native
Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...
."Deportations In Libya Leader Of Congress Party", ''The Times'', 23 February 1952, p6, Issue 52243


References

{{Authority control 1952 elections in Africa Elections in Libya 1952 in Libya February 1952 events in Africa