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Has Libya bucked the Islamist trend?

Updated Friday, July 20th 2012 at 00:00 GMT +3

It is difficult to sum up the alliance of parties that has done so well in Libya's first elections since the overthrow of Col Muammar Gaddafi.

The National Forces Alliance (NFA), led by ex-interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, gained more than double the seats of its Islamist rivals.

So should its MPs be described as secularist liberals or moderate modernists?

The reality is that those in the alliance are largely unknown, expect for Mr Jibril - whose face was one everyone recognised when they went to the polls.

When it comes to their politics, Libyans certainly believe that the NFA is "liberal", but the word "secular" is not used.

Mr Jibril himself has already declared that his party shall refer to Sharia for guidance in legislation.

So do these final preliminary results, pending a two-week window for any legal appeal, mean the conservative North African country is less religious than neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt, where Islamists did well in recent post-revolutionary elections?

Not really.

'Tired of preachers'

Libyans do not need politicians to tell them how to be good Muslims, says 18-year-old Heba, a tall, model-thin girl who presents an Arabic music programme on radio.

They want the parliament to deal with more pressing concerns, she explains.

"It's not like we expect nightclubs and things like that to suddenly open their doors here," she says.

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