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Extradition of Libyan PM is a Distraction From Deeper Crisis

The Tunisian government's cloak-and-dagger extradition of Libya's former prime minister may have caused a political maelstrom in Tunisia, writes Mustafa Fetouri, but he will be just another prisoner held without charges or a chance for a fair trial in Libya. To add to the chaos, another bomb went off in Tripoli's busiest street Tuesday.
Former spy chief in Muammar Gaddafi's government, Bouzaid Dorda, sits behind bars in the dock during a court session in Tripoli June 26, 2012. Dorda, who was arrested last September in Tripoli, is the first senior Gaddafi official put on trial in Libya since a popular revolution ousted the former government last year. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW)

In the earlier hours of Sunday morning, June 24, and under the cover of darkness, the Tunisian government handed over the last Libyan Prime Minister under the former regime, Baghdadi al-Mahmudi, to the Libyan authorities. As soon as the news broke, the debate raged on the legality of the extradition. The Tunisian president himself, who was touring the furthest point of his country’s southwestern border with Libya at the time, issued a statement not only distancing himself from the government’s action, but also questioning its constitutionality. His words immediately triggered the first serious dispute between the presidency and the government. By Tuesday night, various coalition partners in the Islamist-led government dominated by the Ennahda Movement had voiced their anger and concern on the government’s decision to bypass the president.

Nearly one third of the Constituent Assembly in Tunis boycotted debates on Tuesday (June 26) and called for a vote of confidence on the government of Hamadi Jebali after a debate scheduled for Friday.

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