General elections were held in

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

on 19 February 1952 to elect the members of the House of Representatives, the lower house of

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

,The Libyan economy: economic diversification and international repositioning
p16 except in three constituencies in

Tripolitania Tripolitania (), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province of Libya. The region had been settled since antiquity, first coming to prominence as part of the Carthaginian empire. Following the defeat ...

, where the elections were delayed until March after rioters destroyed the electoral register on election day."Police Open Fire In Libya Election Disturbances", ''The Times'', 21 February 1952, p6, Issue 52241 They were the first elections in the country's history."Polling In Libya To-Day First Election, Western Bases As A Factor", ''The Times'', 19 February 1952, p4, Issue 52239

Electoral system

Voting was restricted to sane and solvent men over the age of 21, and did not allow for secret balloting, except in urban areas. They elected 55 members to the lower house of the

in single member constituencies. The constituencies were divided into urban areas and rural areas; in the urban areas voters were given a ballot paper, which they dropped into the coloured ballot box of their candidate, whilst in rural areas voters were asked who they supported and their answer recorded by registering officer, with a committee of observers as witnesses. The committee included a returning officer, a judge and a notable person from the constituency. The

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

turned down a proposal that it should monitor the elections.

Campaign and election day

A total of 141 candidates contested the election, most of whom ran as independents. There were two opposing groups; one supportive of Prime Minister Mahmud al-Muntasir, and one led by the Congress Party headed by Beshir Bey Sadawi. The Congress Party was largely focussed on opposition to foreign influence in Libya, despite receiving financial support from

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. It also claimed that voting for pro-government candidates would lead to voters effectively excommunicating themselves from the

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic faith. The Prime Minister called on voters to elect the candidate most likely to help implement the government's 19-point programme. On election day one person was killed and a British police officer was injured following exchanges of fire between a crowd of people and the police in

Misrata Misrata ( ; , Libyan Arabic: ; also spelled Misratah and known by the Italian spelling Misurata) is a city in northwestern Libya located in the Misrata District, situated to the east of Tripoli on the Mediterranean coast near Cape Misrata. ...

, and several people were also hospitalised after the police used

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

. The violence broke out after the crowd was told that their requests for a Congress Party candidate to be present in the polling booth was illegal."Libya Goes To The Poll Some Incidents Reported", ''The Times'', 20 February 1952, p3, Issue 52240 Similar protests occurred in

Results and aftermath

As expected, the Congress Party were victorious in Tripoli, but pro-government candidates won all other seats. The Congress Party won a total of eight seats, whilst the majority of seats were held by pro-government independents."News in Brief", ''The Times'', 8 March 1952, p5, Issue 52255 Following the election, rioting broke out, resulting in all political parties being banned. Sadawi was deported to Egypt, along with his brother, nephew and some other supporters, whilst the Congress Party secretary was deported to his native

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

."Deportations In Libya Leader Of Congress Party", ''The Times'', 23 February 1952, p6, Issue 52243

References

{{Authority control

Elections in Libya

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Election and referendum articles with incomplete results