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Libya
The Arab Socialist Union
The 1971 creation of the ASU, an imitation of the Egyptian counterpart
of the same name, marked the first stage in the drive to modify
subnational government. The ASU was envisioned as the direct link
between the people and the government (and particularly the RCC).
Its purpose was to provide the masses with a system that allowed
for participation and representation (thus fostering national
unity), commitment to the revolution, and loyalty to the RCC)
but that could be carefully directed by the RCC. Resolutions passed
by ASU organs required RCC decrees or orders for implementation,
and the RCC could annul any ASU decision at any level and dissolve
any ASU organ. As chairman of the RCC, Qadhafi became president
of the ASU.
The ASU was organized on three tiers: at the basic (or local)
level, the governorate level, and the national level. Membership
was based on both geography (or residence) and function (workplaces,
universities, and government bureaucracies). ASU units at both
the basic and governorate level were composed of two elements,
the conference and the committee. All local and functional ASU
members within a basic area constituted the Basic Conference.
The Basic Committee, which functioned as the conference's executive,
comprised ten members elected by and from the conference. The
committee in turn elected its own secretariat and appointed special
subcommittees to investigate matters and suggest policies of local
interest. The Governorate Conference consisted of two or more
representatives elected from each basic unit, the number of representatives
depending on the size of the basic unit's membership. The Governorate
Committee consisted of twenty members elected by and from conference
members. The committee also elected its secretariat and appointed
research subcommittees. ASU university units were equivalent to,
and organized in the same manner as, ASU governorate units.
The ASU unit at the national level was the National Congress
(sometimes seen as National Conference), an early version of the
GPC. It comprised ten, fourteen, or twenty representatives from
each ASU governorate unit (depending on the size of the membership
of that unit). The National Congress also included members of
the RCC and Council of Ministers and delegates from functional
organizations.
From its inception, Libyan officials stressed that the ASU was
not a political party; rather, it was a mass organization that
formed an activist alliance comprising members of various social
forces within the population (laborers, farmers, soldiers, women,
and so forth) that were committed to the principles of the revolution.
Emphasis was placed on "toilers," or workers--initially farmers
and laborers--who were to constitute at least half of the membership
of all ASU units at all levels. The worker category was later
expanded to include--along with farmers and laborers-- professionals,
artisans, employees, traders, and students. Intellectuals and
nonexploitive capitalists were considered workers at one time
but were later excluded. Membership in the ASU was open to anyone
from the worker categories who was over eighteen years of age,
in good legal standing, of sound mental health, and not a member
of the former royal family or associated with the defunct monarchical
government. Exceptions in these cases could be granted by the
RCC. By the time of the first ASU National Congress in 1972, membership
was reported to include over 300,000 of some 1 million eligible
persons.
A second stage in subnational government revision occurred with
the passage of several laws in 1972. Through these laws the districts
and subdistricts were abolished, reducing administrative subdivisions
to the governorate and the municipality. (Municipalities could
be subdivided into branches and other units, but these were secondary,
created only when needed on a municipal council's recommendation
to the prime minister.) Certain ministerial prerogatives in administration,
finance, and local civil service matters were transferred to the
governors and mayors. The functions of the Ministry of Municipalities
were reabsorbed by the Ministry of Interior, and the prime minister
supervised a system of representative's councils at the governorate
and municipal levels, councils that were influenced significantly
by the ASU.
Governorate and municipal councils were concerned primarily with
implementing national policies and drafting plans and regulations
pertaining to the provision of regular and emergency health, education,
social welfare, and transportation services, as well as with undertaking
development and agricultural improvement projects. A governorate
had primary authority over these functions when they crossed municipal
boundaries.
Governorate councils comprised both appointed and elected seats.
The prime minister appointed ASU members, upon the governor's
advice and the ASU's recommendation, to fill ten seats. The popular
elections to fill the other seats were supervised by the ASU.
The councils also included the area directors of health, education,
and other services. Municipal councils were composed of six appointed
ASU members, other members of the ASU who were elected through
ASU-supervised popular elections, and municipal service administrators.
All council decisions were sent to the prime minister, who could
reject them. If the council persisted, the matter would be sent
to the Council of Ministers for final review. The prime minister
also was empowered to dissolve councils.
Data as of 1987
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