Libyan Arab Socialist Union
The Arab Socialist Union of Libya was a political party in Libya from 1971 to 1977 led by Muammar Gaddafi.
Many aspects of Muammar Gaddafi's Libyan socialist revolution were based on that of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Like Nasser, Gaddafi seized power with a Free Officers Movement, which in 1971 became the Arab Socialist Union of Libya. Like its Egyptian counterpart, the Libyan ASU was the sole legal party and was designed as a vehicle for integrated national expression rather than as a political party.
Bashir Hawady was the general secretary of the party. In May 1972, the Libyan ASU and the Egyptian ASU agreed to merge their two parties into a single body.
