Ali Zeidan (sometimes written as Zidan; ar, علي زيدان; born 15 December 1950)
is a former
Prime Minister of Libya
This article lists the heads of government of Libya since the country's independence in 1951.
Libya is in a tumultuous state since the start of the Arab Spring-related Libyan Crisis in 2011; the crisis resulted in the collapse of the Libya ...
. He was appointed by the
General National Congress
The General National Congress or General National Council (GNC; ar, المؤتمر الوطني العام, Berber: Agraw Amuran Amatay) was the legislative authority of Libya for two years following the end of the First Libyan Civil War. It w ...
on 14 October 2012, and took office on 14 November after Congress approved his cabinet nominees. Prior to the
Libyan Civil War
Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...
, Zeidan was a
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
-based human rights lawyer
and according to the
BBC, he is considered by some local observers as a strong-minded liberal.
He was ousted by the parliament committee and fled from Libya on 14 March 2014. However, he told the press conference in
Rabat, Morocco
Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populatio ...
, that the ousting was invalid.
Career
Ali Zeidan was born in 1950, and grew up in the town of
Waddan.
He served as a diplomat for Libya during the 1970s, serving in India under Ambassador
Mohammed Magariaf
Mohammed Yousef el-Magariaf (also written as Magariaf, Elmegaryaf or Almegaryaf) or, as he writes on his official website, Dr. Mohamed Yusuf Al Magariaf ( ar, محمد يوسف المقريف; born 1940), is a Libyan politician who served as the P ...
.
Both men defected in 1980 and went on to form the
National Front for the Salvation of Libya
The National Front for the Salvation of Libya (NFSL) was a political opposition group active during the rule of the Gaddafi regime in Libya. It was formed in 1981 and called for major liberalising reforms such as democratic elections, a free pre ...
.
Zeidan spent nearly three decades in exile in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...
after the defection.
During the revolution, Zeidan served as the
National Transitional Council
The National Transitional Council of Libya ( ar, المجلس الوطني الإنتقالي '), sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, was the ''de facto'' government of Libya for a period during and after the Libyan Civil War ...
's Europe envoy, and is credited for playing a key role in persuading French President
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...
to support the
anti-Gaddafi forces
The anti-Gaddafi forces were Libyan groups that opposed and militarily defeated the government of Muammar Gaddafi, killing him in the process. These opposition forces included organized and armed militia groups, participants in the Libyan Civil ...
.
Congressman
On 7 July 2012, Zeidan was elected as an independent congressman for
Jufra in the
2012 Congressional election. He ran for the position of Speaker of the Congress, but ultimately lost out to his former opposition colleague
Mohammed Magariaf
Mohammed Yousef el-Magariaf (also written as Magariaf, Elmegaryaf or Almegaryaf) or, as he writes on his official website, Dr. Mohamed Yusuf Al Magariaf ( ar, محمد يوسف المقريف; born 1940), is a Libyan politician who served as the P ...
, obtaining 85 votes.
On 10 October 2012, Zeidan resigned his seat in Congress.
Prime Minister
Following
Mustafa Abushagur's unsuccessful attempt to form a government, Zeidan resigned his seat in Congress and ran for the position of Prime Minister against the
Justice and Construction Party's favoured candidate,
Mohammed Al-Harari
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
. Zeidan was elected Prime Minister-designate by a vote of 93 to 85,
with two weeks to submit his proposed new government for approval by Congress.
Zeidan was reported to have been supported by members of Congress belonging to the generally liberal
National Forces Alliance
The National Forces Alliance ( ar, تحالف القوى الوطنية, ') is a political alliance in Libya. The alliance was created in February 2012. It includes 58 political organisations, 236 NGOs, and more than 280 independents. The allianc ...
(organized by
Mahmoud Jibril
Mahmoud Jibril el-Warfally ( ar, محمود جبريل الورفلي), also transcribed Jabril or Jebril or Gebril (28 May 1952 – 5 April 2020), was a Libyan politician who served as the interim Prime Minister of Libya for seven and a half mon ...
), as well as by certain independents informally affiliated as the Workers group (with 20 members) and the Southern group (with 31).
Zeidan's cabinet was approved by Congress on 31 October 2012, although six of its members were referred for investigation into alleged links to the former Gaddafi regime.
All six were subsequently cleared of the charges and Zeidan's government was sworn in on 14 November. Zeidan's cabinet avowedly aimed at geographical as well as political balance, including ministers from the
National Forces Alliance
The National Forces Alliance ( ar, تحالف القوى الوطنية, ') is a political alliance in Libya. The alliance was created in February 2012. It includes 58 political organisations, 236 NGOs, and more than 280 independents. The allianc ...
, the
Justice and Construction Party, and independents.
Zeidan was quoted as promising at his swearing-in that his government would abide by the
Constitutional Declaration and "give its utmost best to the nation based on the
rule of law
The rule of law is the political philosophy that all citizens and institutions within a country, state, or community are accountable to the same laws, including lawmakers and leaders. The rule of law is defined in the ''Encyclopedia Britannic ...
, human rights, democracy, rights, and the belief in
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
,
His Prophet and a
state based on Islam".
Kidnappings
2013
Zeidan was kidnapped by armed militants from the
Corinthia Hotel in
Tripoli during the early morning of 10 October 2013 and taken to an undisclosed location.
The group Joint Operations Room of Libya's Revolutionaries said they abducted Zeidan as a reaction to his government's alleged involvement in the American capture of
Anas al-Liby, and his statements in late September calling for international assistance in building an official army and police force.
Zeidan was freed hours later.
2017
Zeidan was kidnapped again on 14 August 2017, by an armed group, being taken from a hotel in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. On 22 August, he was released without any reasons given by his kidnappers after being held for ten days in Tripoli and was taken near to Mehary Radisson Blu hotel.
Dismissal
On 11 March 2014, the rogue oil tanker ''
Morning Glory
Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics are in flux. Morning glory species belong to many genera, some of ...
'' left the rebel port of
Sidra, Libya, with Libyan oil that had been confiscated by the rebels. Ali Zeidan had promised to stop the departure, but failed.
The same day, Zeidan was reported to have been ousted by the parliament committee and then to have fled to Europe, although fleeing the country was banned for him. However, he told the press conference in
Rabat, Morocco
Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populatio ...
, that the ousting was invalid.
Alleged flight to Malta
On 8 June 2014, the Maltese government denied a Maltese blogger's claim that Ali Zeidan was residing in
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, under the protection of the Maltese government.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeidan, Ali
1950 births
2013 crimes in Libya
2017 crimes in Libya
Government ministers of Libya
Kidnapped politicians
National Party for Development and Welfare politicians
Living people
People from Jufra District
Prime Ministers of Libya
Kidnapped Libyan people
Kidnappings in Libya
Missing person cases in Libya
Libyan exiles
Libyan defectors
Libyan expatriates in India