Libya and the formation of a new interim government

Libya’s parallel eastern administration greeted the Friday’s declaration of a new interim cabinet to unite the country, however; it said that it would no abandon power only if the eastern-based parliament approved.

Indeed, Saturday’s qualified declaration of support that leaving the possibility to oppose the step later, showed the challenges that may face UN-led efforts to reach a political solution to a decade of disorder, division and violence.
It should indicate that Libya has been divided between east and west since 2014, with the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, and a competing administration in Benghazi backed by Khalifa Haftar’s eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA).

Moreover, participants in UN discussions in Switzerland voted, on Friday, on a new presidency council and government chef to supervise the run-up to national parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for December. Thus, losing candidates in the vote, including the eastern-based parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh and GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha and Defense Minister Salah al-Namroush, have made public declarations of support for the new government.

Therefore, the new Prime Minister, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, has three weeks to establish a new government and present it to parliament and that under rules agreed by the Libyan discussions participants chosen by the United Nations to represent the country’s rival political currents.

In 2019, Parliament divided as a group of lawmakers split, which made any agreement by a full quorum difficult. If it does not approve the new government, however, the UN discussions participants have agreed that they have the power to do so themselves.

Otherwise, the parliament had opposed the formation of the GNA, designing its own parallel eastern-based administration under Abdullah Thinni. It said on Saturday that its administration would not stand down until a full parliamentary assembly approved the new government.

However, Haftar, who was selected as army chief by the eastern-based parliament, did not publish an instant statement. But, his general command headquarters said that it welcomed the deal and appealed for all to help reaching the December elections.