The Government of Muhyiddin Fikini in Libya (March 1963 – January 1964): An Analytical Reading in the Political and Historical Context

Abstract

The government of Dr. Muhyiddin Fikini (March 1963 – January 1964) represents a definitive and crucial milestone in the trajectory of the modern Libyan state. Far from being a mere fleeting transitional phase, it served as the vital bridge through which Libya navigated the shift from a tripartite federal system (Cyrenaica, Tripolitania, and Fezzan) to a unified, unitary central state. King Idris Al-Senussi’s strategic selection of Dr. Fikini—a distinguished diplomat with extensive international experience—reflected a royal desire and political will to modernize the state's infrastructure and reform an administrative apparatus that was overextended and fragmented across different capitals and provinces. This study seeks to analyze the historical and political context in which this government was formed, focusing on its fundamental role in drafting and ratifying the historic constitutional amendments of April 1963. These amendments culminated in the abolition of the federal system and the unification of Libyan sovereignty under the title "The Kingdom of Libya." Furthermore, the study investigates how the Fikini government managed complex bureaucratic and financial challenges, particularly with the onset of oil revenues, which imposed a new economic reality requiring centralized planning and execution. The analytical reading also examines Fikini’s ministerial composition and his policies toward traditional elites and power centers within the royal court. It explores how his reformist ambitions and modernist vision clashed with a conservative political reality and regional forces that feared the erosion of their privileges within a centralized state. The study concludes that the short duration of this government did not prevent it from leaving an enduring constitutional and administrative legacy. It laid the initial foundations for the contemporary Libyan state and established the rules for developmental work through the first five-year plan, making its experience a fundamental reference for understanding the complexities of state-building in Libya and the evolution of its political system.