Vandewalle, an associate professor of government, and Jahr, a freelance researcher, say that many Libyans chose not to participate in elections because “they consider political institutions—including the General National Congress, the transitional parliament—to be ineffectual.”
They continue, “This is a shame because, despite severe security issues and other debilitating weaknesses, Libya these days has one unexpected strength: Most of its people agree on major issues that are often hopelessly divisive, like minority rights, Islam and federalism.”
Read the full opinion piece, published 5/8/14 by The New York Times.