Libya lifts ban on religious parties as voters register

[rug]

2 May 2012 Last updated at 13:23 ET

Libya's National Transitional Council has lifted a ban on religious parties taking part in June's election.

At the same time the NTC announced a clampdown on Libyans loyal to the country's former leader, Muammar Gaddafi. Public praise of Gaddafi or his regime will now be an offence.

The election will choose members of a new General National Congress.

Registration centres opened throughout the country on 1 May, and voters have two weeks in which to register.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17930578

The ban was in effect for 8 days.

[David__77]

1. This is a stronger ban than there was in Germany with de-Nazification.

Anyone who supported the "Green Book" ideology under Gaddafi may (or may not) be banned from politics. Of course, almost everyone supported that ideology on the face of it, including the large majority of those in power now. So only those are banned who would dare oppose the current course. That's much more arbitrary and expansive than any similar ban seen in Germany, Japan, Italy, Iraq, etc.