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Survey: Libyans Prefer ‘Strong Libyan Leader’ Over Democracy

A new national survey released today by Oxford Research International finds that while 75 percent of Libyans polled said that their lives are much or somewhat better compared to before the revolution that ousted Col. Muammar Qaddafi, just 15 percent said Libya should have a democratic government in 12 months time. Twenty-nine percent said they would prefer a “(single) strong Libyan leader.” But in 5 years, more Libyans said they’d rather see a democracy:

When asked “which country could serve as a model for Libya in the coming years,” nearly 38 percent said Libya does not need a model. But of the countries mentioned, more pointed to the non-democratic United Arab Emirates (21.8 percent) than democratic countries such as the United States (4.6 percent), Britain (3.3 percent) and France (3.2 percent).

The BBC reports that Oxford University’s Dr. Christoph Sahm said the survey suggested Libyans lacked the knowledge of how democracy works. “This survey also reveals there is potential for future instability as a significant minority have indicated that they would be prepared to take up arms,” he said.

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