The National Transitional Council in Libya has set an initial timetable of eight months to hold free democratic elections. The announcement comes amid mounting international calls for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death in Sirte on Thursday of dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
It's a little naive to be calling now for an investigation into Gaddafi's death — the long road to his inevitable end had many steps, and at any time he could have ended the conflict by stepping aside or surrendering himself to international authorities. He chose not to, but hid until the end in Sirte, and his death came after heated moments of a bloody battle and a long eight-month struggle.
So the focus needs to shift to what happens to the country now. In his four decades, Gaddafi brutally repressed and eliminated all opposition, with the NTC fighters united only by their opposition to the dictator and his regime.
In the eight months to elections, the NTC must come up with a framework acceptable to all parties and tribes, and it must be inclusive of political views.
Given the hatred at present to those Libyans who are perceived as having sided with the bloody dictator, there needs to be reconciliation.
With Saif Al Islam still on the loose there is a danger of counter-insurgency, though that remains slim given the overarching opposition to all things Gaddafi in Libya now. Priority one now for the NTC must be to remove militias and arms from the cities and a return to law and order, providing schools and health care. Rebuilding of its battered infrastructure must be undertaken straightaway. And the NTC must access Gaddafi's personal fortune, estimated at $200 billion (Dh734 billion), hidden around the world.
