US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland stressed that holding elections in a timely manner is the best way towards what he called "a secure and united Libya."
The statement by the US ambassador came in a tweet on Twitter after his meeting with Libyan parliamentarians representing the south, calling on the country's leaders to calm down, reduce tension and respect the will of the people.
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Norland: "HoR members from the Fezzan, Mahdi Massoud La'war, Abu Salah Shalabi, and Musbah Dum honored me with a visit to Tunis on Feb. 12 where they shared their vision for Fezzan's role in #Libya's future and the need for Libya to hold elections as soon as possible pic.twitter.com/vQPUCp9GXa
— US Embassy - Libya (@USEmbassyLibya) February 14, 2022
Disagreements and obstacles
After years of violence, a political process under the auspices of the United Nations led to the appointment of Abdel Hamid Dabaiba as prime minister in early 2021 to manage the transitional period until the holding of presidential and legislative elections, but the vote - which was scheduled for December 2021 - was postponed indefinitely due to disagreements between the actors.
The House of Representatives - which is based in the city of Tobruk (east of the country) - believes that the mandate of the Dabaiba government ended after the postponement of the elections, but the latter announced that he would hand over power only to an elected government.
The House of Representatives gave Fathi Bashagha a deadline until February 24 to form his government and present it to a vote.
Commenting on these developments, a source in the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States said that Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit believes that it is important for all parties in Libya to work to reach a political consensus on the next stage, as this is the real guarantee to maintain stability in Libya. country.
Aboul Gheit stressed - according to what the source reported - the importance of giving priority to the supreme interest of Libya at this critical stage.
The exile stressed the need for consensus among all parties (communication sites)
The importance of compatibility
The President of the Libyan Presidential Council, Muhammad Al-Manfi, stressed the importance of consensus among all parties to the political process in his country, and to benefit from the popular momentum for the upcoming elections, in response to the demands of the Libyans to exercise their right.
Al-Minfi said - during his meeting with the Italian ambassador in Tripoli, Giuseppe Buccino Grimaldi - that the council is working with all parties to bring the views closer to the success of this stage.
The Italian ambassador expressed his country's full and continuous support for the political track in Libya, leading to the parliamentary and presidential elections.
The Prime Minister of the National Unity Government in Libya, Abdel Hamid Dabaiba, refuses to comply with the vote that took place in the House of Representatives last Thursday and led to the assignment of former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha to form a new government.
The country is currently witnessing a state of political confusion, security mobilization, and statements of approval and rejection of the Parliament's move.
Dabaiba during his meeting with the UN envoy to Libya two days ago (Anatolia)
position and plan
Yesterday, Monday, Dabaiba stressed that he would not allow what he called a "conspiracy" to extend the elections again, noting that the election train had started, and there was no turning back, as he put it.
He indicated that they had formed a ministerial committee headed by the Minister of Justice to select an independent national team to draw up an election plan.
Dabaiba made it clear - during the second regular cabinet meeting for this year, which was held on Monday at the Prime Minister's headquarters in Tripoli - that he will announce next week the launch of a plan to hold elections in June this year.
He added, "We will not allow the transitional stages to continue and extend the life of the current bodies, and we will announce the plan for the return of the secretariat to the people at the end of this week."
Dabaiba prefers to hold elections next June, which is the date on which the executive authority in Libya expires, according to what he said in previous statements.
Bashagha begins consultations to form a government (Reuters)
start consultations
Yesterday, Prime Minister-designate Fathi Bashagha announced the start of his consultations with various Libyan parties in order to name his government, expressing his hope that it would gain the confidence of the House of Representatives.
Bashagha assured the Libyans that the process of handing over and receiving will take place in accordance with legal and constitutional mechanisms, and by peaceful means, according to his description.
"There will be no obstacles, especially since Dabaiba is a respected civilian figure, and he always calls for avoiding wars, and we are certain that he believes in democracy and the peaceful transfer of power," he said.
Libya - which has the largest oil reserves in Africa - has been in chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011 in the midst of a popular uprising backed by NATO.