Following the 14 February statement by Maj. General Khalifa Hiftar calling for the GNC and cabinet to dissolve and sounding suspiciously like the start to a military coup attempt, the Qaaqaa Brigade and Sawaiq Brigade of Zintan origin issued an ultimatum to the GNC on 18 February to disband within five hours of the statement - or else GNC members would be arrested. The Libya Herald reports, however, that Qaaqaa Brigade members were not seen in the city that night, militia forces did not move from Zintan into Tripoli, nor did the threatened arrests take place.Each subsequent attempt has emboldened others to try their hand, or to strike out against rivals lest they make a bid for power. Now with conflicting reports out that Qaaqaa Brigade leader Othman Mlaiqitah was wounded in what was possibly an assassination attempt (or a car crash), those who would seek to take hold of the reins of power had best be prepared to weather their own armed opposition.These possible coup attempts were not enough to further derail the 20 February elections for Libya's constituent assembly, already suffering from boycott by the Amazigh, polling station violence in Derna and Ubari, and general voter apathy. Preliminary results from Eastern Libya are indicating a possible win for the federalist current, as well as a possible seat for former NTC Finance and Oil Minister Ali Tarhouni according to the Alwasat.ly news website. However, The High National Election Commission has not yet announced any such results on its website http://hnec.ly.
Too Cool for a Coup, Part Two