Libya's new Prime Minister-elect Ali Zeidan [Zidan] comes with an interesting history.
He was a diplomat in the 1970s, serving in India under the then Ambassador, and now President, Mohamed el-Magarief [Magariaf].
Both men defected in 1980 and went on to form the National Front for the Salvation of Libya.
He spent the next three decades in exile, settling in Geneva and campaigning for human rights in Libya.
Now aged 62, he is an independent member of the General National Congress, and received the support of the liberal National Forces Alliance (NFA) in his campaign to become prime minister.
He defeated the Minister for Local Government, Mohamed Al-Harari, who had the backing of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, by 93 votes to 85.
Although being the more liberal of the two candidates, he told a press conference:
"Islam is our belief system and the source for any jurisprudence, and anything against sharia is refused."
If he can now get a cabinet approved, his stated aim is to bolster the official police and military, thus restoring order to the country.
We wish him well in the task, as any the welfare and development of the Libyan people depends on the normalisation of security and law and order.
