Government
Decrees set forth in 1977 by the General People's Congress (the supreme legislative body) named Muammar Qaddafi as head of state, assisted by the General Secretariat of the General People's Congress and the General People's Committee of the General People's Congress. There is one political party, the Arab Socialist Union. The guiding principles of government are based on socialism and the precepts of Islam. The judicial system is based on both Western and Islamic law.
