On unconstitutional changes of government: The case of the National Transitional Council of Libya

This short paper discusses the North African uprisings that led to the change of leadership in Tunisia and Egypt, and the issues surrounding the recognition of the National Transitional Council (NTC) of Libya by the African Union (AU) after the killing of Muammar Gaddafi. In doing so, the paper analyses the uprisings in North Africa vis-à-vis the AU normative frameworks related to unconstitutional changes of government and democratic constitutionalism. The implications of these AU policies on the recognition of the NTC and how the AU recognised the NTC afterwards is also discussed. Finally, some recommendations are made with regard to how the AU should deal with similar uprisings in Africa in the future.