91AV

KPFA radio Berkeley on July 9, 2012 and WBEZ Chicago public radio on July 11 interviewed Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, Ph.D., chair of the 91AV political science program, about the Libyan elections that took place the weekend of July 7th.

Partial results released by the election commission showed that the Alliance of National Forces, a coalition of liberals led by former Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, maintained a lead. Jibril was the international face of the opposition during the uprising last year.

Ahmida, who was born in Libya, told KPFA listeners that Jibril, a friend of his, could be described as a liberal and nationalist. Ahmida said Jibril's vision for Libya would be to reform education, health care, and the economy and to fight corruption through more transparency in dealing with oil the sector and other parts of Libyan economy. which begins about 10 minutes into the podcast.

Ahmida told WBEZ listeners that the elections are a story we need to pay attention to - and it is a very uplifting story. Ahmida noted the remarkable participation in the elections, which he called not an end in itself, but a roadmap for rebuilding Libya and an important step toward that goal.

Ahmida is the author of The Making of Modern Libya: State Formation, Colonialization and Resistance, and several other books on Libya and North Africa.  Find out more about Ahmida and read and listen to a number of his other recent interviews.