Having
reviewed the recommendations of the People's Congresses, the
Constitutional Declaration of 11 Dec 1969, and the resolutions and
recommendations of the General People's Congress which met during
the period 5 to 18 Jan 1975;
Believing
in the establishment of the direct democratic system heralded by
the Great September Revolution and regarding it as the absolute and
decisive solution to the problem of democracy;
Embodying
the pioneer experiment of the popular rule on the soil of the Great
September Revolution which established the authority of the People,
who alone should have the authority;
Declare
their adherence to freedom and willingness to defend it on the
Libyan land and on any other land in the world;
Declare their preparedness to protect the
persecuted freedom-seekers;
Declare their adherence to socialism as a
means of achieving People's ownership;
Declare their commitment to spiritual
values to safeguard morals and human behavior;
Support the march of the Revolution
towards complete popular authority and consolidation of the
People's Society where only the people control leadership,
authority, wealth, and arms to realize the Society of
Freedom;
Declare their total commitment to
blocking the way in face of all forms of traditional instruments of
government, be they individual, family, tribe, sect, class,
representative, party, or group of parties;
Declare their readiness to crush forever
any undemocratic attempt;
The Libyan Arab People, having regained,
through the Revolution, total control over their affairs, and
controlling their present and future potentialities with the help
of Allah and adherence to His Holy Book as the everlasting source
for guidance and as the ordinance of society;
Issue this declaration proclaiming the
establishment of the People's authority and announcing to the
peoples of the earth the emergence of the era of the
masses.
Article 1
[Name]
The official
name of Libya will be 'The Socialist People's Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya'.
Article 2
[Religion]
The Holy
Koran is the Constitution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya.
Article 3 [Congresses,
Committees, Unions]
(1) The
People's direct democracy is the basis of the political system in
the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, where the authority
is in the hands of the People alone. The People exercise their
authority through the People's Congresses, the People's Committees,
and the Professional Unions. The regulations of the congresses,
committees, and professional unions as well as the dates of their
meetings are defined by law.
(2) The authority of the People is
comprised of the following:
1. People's
Congresses;
2. People's
Committees;
3.
Professional Unions; and
4. General
People's Congress.
(3) People's
Congresses:
1. The
Libyan People is divided into basic People's Congresses. 2. All
citizens register themselves as members of the Basic People's
Congress in their area. 3. Every basic People's Congress chooses
among its members a committee to lead the Congress.
(4) The masses of the People's Congresses
choose People's Committees to administer all the services. These
Committees are responsible to the People's
Congresses.
(5) Members of each profession form their
own union to defend their professional rights.
(6) The General People's Congress is the
national conference of the People's Committees and Professional
Unions. The General People's Congress shall have a General
Secretariat to execute the general policy of the State as defined
by the People's Congresses.
The
General Secretariat prepares the sessions of the General People's
Congress and draws up an agenda of the General People's Congress,
executing its resolutions and recommendations. The General
Secretariat consists of a Secretary General and a number of
secretaries; each shall supervise one of the sectors of activities
in the State.
Article 4
[Chairman]
The General People's Congress chooses a
chairman to preside over its sessions, to sign the laws by order of
the Congress, and to accept the credentials of the representatives
of foreign countries.
Article 5
[Absence]
In the case of absence of the Chairman of
the General People's Congress or if something hinders him from
performing his duties, the Secretary General will temporarily
replace him.
Article 6
[Election]
(1) The General People's Congress chooses
the Secretary General and the Secretaries, dismisses them, and
accepts their resignations.
(2) The
Secretary General and the Secretaries are jointly responsible to
the General People's Congress while every secretary is responsible
for the sector he supervises.
Article 7
[Budget]
The General Budget of the State is issued
by a law and the General People's Congress endorses the balance
sheet of the State.
Article 8 [Departments,
Employees]
A Law regulates the establishment of
public departments and appointments and dismissals of Government
employees.
Article 9
[Defence]
Defending the Country is the
responsibility of every citizen. Through general military training,
the People shall be trained and armed. Law regulates the method for
preparing military cadres and the general military
training.
Article 10
[Terms]
The terms 'Council of Minister', 'Prime
Minister', and 'Minister' are to be replaced, wherever mentioned,
by the terms 'General Secretariat of the General People's
Congress', 'Secretary General', and 'The
Secretary'.
Al
Gaddafi`s official website (since 2007)
*** COMMUNIQUE NUMBER ONE by Muammar Al
Gaddafi (Arabic) English translation read
below!
This Original Radio
recording from 1969 is an document of greatest value!
[This communique was read
by Mu`ammar al-Qadhafi over Libyan Radio at about 7 AM local time
on 1 September 1969;he had drafted it in the radio studio only
minutes before.]
"People of
Libya! In response to your own will, fulfilling your most heartfelt
wishes, answering your incessant demands for change and
regeneration and your longing to strive towards these ends;
listening to your incitement to rebel, your armed forces have
undertaken the overthrow of the reactionary and corrupt regime, the
stench of which has sickened and horrified us all. At a single blow
your gallant army has toppled these idols and has destroyed their
images. By a single stroke it has lightened the long dark night in
which the Turkish domination was followed first by Italian rule,
then by this reactionary and decadent regime, which was no more
than a hot-bed of extortion, faction, treachery and
treason.
"From this day
forward, Libya is a free, self-governing republic. She will adopt
the name of The Libyan Arab Republic and will, by the grace of God,
begin her task. She will advance on the road to freedom, the path
of unity and social justice, guaranteeing equality to all her
citizens and throwing wide in front of them the gates of honest
employment, where injustice and exploitation will be banished,
where no one will count himself master or servant, and where all
will be free, brothers within a society in which, with God's help,
prosperity and equality will be seen to rule us
all.
"Give us your
hands. Open up your hearts to us. Forget past misfortunes, and, as
one people, prepare to face the enemies of Islam, the enemies of
humanity, those who have burned our sanctuaries and mocked at our
honour. Thus shall we re-build our glory, we shall resurrect our
heritage, we shall avenge our wounded dignity, and restore the
rights which have been wrested from us.
"You who have
witnessed the sacred struggle of our hero, Omar al- Mukhtar, for
Libya, Arabism and Islam ... You who have fought at the side of
Ahmed al-Sherif for a true ideal; you, sons of the desert and of
our ancient cities, of our green country side, and of our lovely
villages, -- onwards! For we have work to do! And the hour is
come!
"On this
occasion I have pleasure in assuring all our foreign friends that
they need have no fears either for their property or for their
safety; they are under the protection of our armed forces. And I
would add, moreover, that our enterprise is in no sense directed
against any state whatever, nor against international agreements or
recognised international law. This is a purely internal affair
concerning Libya and her problems alone.
"Forward, then,
and may peace be with you."
