political contacts, in an effort to gain international support for himself and the Libyan people. Mainstream political career After the 2011 civil war, Magariaf returned to Libya from the United States, where he had spent most of his 30 years in exile. He is now the leader of National Front Party, the formal successor of the NFSL which was dissolved on 9 May 2012, after the National Transitional Council seized power. Magariaf is Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. During the Libyan Congressional election of 2012, Magariaf was elected congressman, within the National Front Party. Presidency of the General National Congress Magariaf was elected President of the General National Congress (GNC) on 9 August 2012. He received 113 votes in Congress against 85 votes for his independent rival, Ali Zeidan who went on to become Prime Minister in November. After serving as President for 9 months he resigned in May 2013 in anticipation of the political isolation law which was passed, barring him from office due to his previous role as an ambassador under the Gaddafi regime. Assassination attempt Magariaf survived an attempt on his life in the southwestern Libyan town of Sabha on 4 January 2013. He had been visiting the town with a GNC delegation as part of a fact-finding mission aimed at helping the government restore security and crack down on smuggling operations in the south of the country. Magarief told reporters that his hotel was attacked by gunmen, triggering a three-hour gun battle with his personal bodyguards in which three of them were injured. Magarief escaped the incident unharmed. Political ideology Magariaf is reported to have good relations with the Muslim Brotherhood, yet is perceived as a moderate pragmatist who led one of the most liberal parties in the 2012 election. His agenda is to focus on the Libyan economy. Sources Banks, Arthur S., Thomas C. Muller, and William Overstreet. Political Handbook of the World 2008, CQ Press, 2008. International Security Council, Global affairs, Volume 1, Issues 3-4, 1986, pp. 56–59. International Strategic Studies Association, Defense & foreign affairs handbook, 2002 - Technology & Engineering Metz, Helen Chapin (1987). "LIBYA: a country study, Chapter 4. Government and Politics: Opposition to Qadhafi: Exiled Opposition". Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. Vandewalle, Dirk (2006). History of Modern Libya. Cambridge University Press. References |- |- 1940 births Living people Libyan Muslims Government ministers of