It would be an insult to the Libyan people to equate their recent elections with those traditionally held in Europe for the simple reason that general elections were not part of their culture. Especially since they were last held in 1964 under King Idris el-Senussi half a decade before he was ousted.

While the international media has understandably focused on the armed gangs that stormed polling stations and burnt ballot papers in places like Benghazi, the overall voting seems to have turned out to be a far more peaceful process across much of the country than one would have ever imagined.

Including the capital Tripoli where, as in most other parts of the country, many people of a certain age were actually voting for the first time in their life.

While one should respect whatever verdict the Libyan people expressed last week and might also do in future when fresh elections are held following the drawing up of a new Constitution, I think that the Libyans also deserve credit for the manner in which they seemed to have opted for moderation as a counter weight to the strife, civil war and bloodshed they have experienced in recent months.

I personally interpreted this is as a quest for peace of mind and stability even if the road ahead might be rocky and volatile for some more time.

Were one to list the daunting tasks ahead – without in any way justifying the atrocities of the not too distant past – the items and priorities on the agenda that instantly come to mind are: respect for human rights, the disarming of the strong militias, the improvement of the security situation, the need for triggering economic growth as well as the importance of utilizing their generous oil revenues to the maximum benefit of the country’s economy and relevantly small population in proportion to the country’s size.

At the time of writing, one still needs to determine the mix of the individual candidates that will make up the bulk of the National Congress, which justifies the fact that one should only pass overall judgment when all the ballots are counted.

But whichever way it goes and no matter how rocky the road ahead might prove to be, this will remain a watershed election for the Libyan people at large.

Until recently, the mere notion of taking part in an election was just a distant dream for any Libyan.

I must confess that I was equally impressed by the fact that some 1.2 million out of the 2.8 million registered voters had cast their ballot by most of the voting day.

The media focus was so strong that we even had TV stations broadcasting web cams live from the inner parts of voting centres.

If Jibril turns out to be the winner, as he most probably will be, it is more than likely that within hours of the first indications of the official result he will publicly express his willingness to work with all of the country’s diverse political forces.

A country just out of a dictatorship literally calls for a grand coalition of political forces to engage as many elements as possible.

The success or failure of the new parliament and government rests on how the federalist supporters in the East of the country are tackled.

Although I do not have a crystal ball, I have always argued from day one that post civil war, stability and security were of the essence if Libya really wanted to move ahead successfully.

The people’s mood as expressed in the elections proper shows that this is the frame of mind of most Libyans as well.

In other turbulent countries, elections have often been equated with loss of life. Take Iraq as an example. Compared to that scenario, the violent incidents in Libya on election date were far fewer and far between.

In the coming days and months Libya urgently needs a strong reformist agenda.

It will be interesting to figure out in the medium to long term who the winners and losers of the external backers of Libyan elements throughout the civil war were, particularly since in a number of instances funding and weaponry were covertly channelled to certain militias rather than to the NTC itself.

Containing the regional grievances and the still existing tribal warfare will remain a festering wound.

If anybody has been put to shame it has been the doom-laden prediction of otherwise respectable magazines like the Spectator who had figured out that Libya had been taken over by former self declared al-Qaeda fighters and bands of tribal fanatics.

Not that these have been written off the map but the balancing of political forces seems so far to have worked not only well but even better than expected.

Ironically, the country where the Arab Spring might have taken longest to ignite could end up in a situation where the Arab Spring spirit lives on, while it risks being squashed elsewhere very close to their shores, under one guise or another.

I have tracked most of the media on this issue − the critical, the over enthusiastic, and the realists too.

The bottom line seems to suggest that prosperity in Libya can only be guaranteed if its oil wealth is managed right.

The Economist said it and I believe it too.

[email protected] • www.leobrincat.com

Leo Brincat is a Member of the House Committee on Foreign & European Affairs