UN Worried Over Libya’s Parliament Move To Install New Gov’t

Libya's Parliament
Libya's Parliament

On Thursday, the UN expressed concern over reports that a vote in Libya’s parliament to install a new government “fell short of the expected standards,” putting the country at risk of new fighting or territorial division.

The United Nations expressed concern over reports that a vote in Libya’s parliament to install a new government “fell short of the expected standards.”

On Thursday, Fathi Bashagha will be sworn in as prime minister by the parliament.

Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, the current president, refuses to step down.

The UN is nonetheless focusing on reinvigorating its election campaign, according to the spokeswoman, who also stated that UN Libya adviser Stephanie Williams will shortly ask the parliament and an opposition political entity, the High Council of State, to meet for negotiations.

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The role of foreign powers in the upcoming struggle for control of Libya’s government and political process will be crucial, with commentators warning that another full-fledged conflict or a split into opposing governments is possible.

Since the NATO-backed rebellion against Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has had no peace or security, and it divided in 2014 between competing administrations located in Tripoli, in the west, and in the east, where the parliament is situated.

Although neither the political nor military alliances that are forming today are identical to those that battled from 2014 until a 2020 cease-fire, any new fight would very certainly put eastern troops against a mix of western factions.

Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah’s administration was formed a year ago as part of a United Nations-backed peace process intended at settling political issues through an election last year, but the ballot was canceled due to disagreements over the procedures.

Ever since, the parliament has attempted to regain control of the situation by declaring Dbeibah’s mandate to have ended and setting a path for a referendum on a revised constitution and then elections in 2023.

Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah has stated that he will organize nationwide elections in June, notwithstanding the parliament’s position.

The parliament was elected in 2014 and mostly supported Khalifa Haftar’s eastern troops, which lay siege to Tripoli from 2019 to 2020, destroying much of the city in an attempt to seize control from the internationally recognized government.

All parties blame each other for the election’s loss and condemn the other of being untrustworthy.

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