General People's Committee

The Cabinet of Libya (officially known as the General People's Committee or the GPCO, , al-lajna ash-sha'bēya al-'āmma) acts as secretaries for various Libyan ministries. It serves as the intermediary between the masses and government leadership and is composed of a general secretary and twenty secretaries of some 600 local "basic popular congresses" (BPC), GPCO members are elected by the country's parliament, and have no fixed terms.

History

In March 1977, the General People's Congress (GPC) adopted the "Declaration of the Establishment of the People's Authority" and proclaimed the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. The people exercise authority through the people's committees, people's congresses, professional associations, and the GPC. Elections are direct, and all voting consists of a show of hands or a division into yea-or-nay camps. Suffrage and committee or congress membership are open to all Libyan citizens eighteen years of age or older in good legal and political standing.

In theory, the residents of each zone elect their own people's committee. Similarly, the residents of each branch municipality elect their own Basic People's Congress (BPC). The BPC members then elect a chairman and a five-member branch or municipal people's committee. The General People's Congress is made up of the chairmen of the BPC, the branch and municipal people's committees, and representatives of the people's committees for unions, professional associations...
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