Libya’s prime minister of the country’s first transitional government Abdurrahim el-Keib died Tuesday after having a heart attack in the US, announced his family.
The Libyan opposition figure was prime minister for eleven months in 2011 after the Transitional National Council chose him to lead the government, before he voluntarily handed the position over to his successor Ali Zeidan.
During his tenure, the country held its first elections for the General National Congress in 2012, where he received 26 votes of the 51. The Congress later elected Zeidan as prime minister.
Keib, 70, was an engineering professor and held several positions in various universities in the Gulf and the US.
In 1967, Keib left the country and joined the opposition against the former regime, before returning to Libya immediately after the outbreak of the February events in 2011.
At his inauguration, Keib delivered a speech in English during which he vowed to build a state that respects human rights.
However, things didn’t go as announced and several UN reports indicated that human rights were repeatedly violated in the country.
Head of the internationally recognized Presidential Council Fayez al-Sarraj mourned the death of Keib saying the country had lost one of its loyal citizens who was a role model in taking responsibility and committing to the best interest of Libya.
The Council issued a statement describing Keib as “pure, friendly, and transparent, whose heart does not bear hatred or grudge.”
It indicated that the late PM added a great human and political value to the country, supported the national reconciliation, and was looking forward for the establishment of a democratic civil state.
