Libya: Parliament suspended

The Libyan parliament suspended its work until next week, without a vote on any of the proposals submitted yesterday to exit the crisis caused by the postponement of the presidential election last week.

The meeting in Tobruk was the first attempt by the divided political class to pave a new path forward after the postponement of the elections. On Monday, the meeting ended amid protests, after various proposals were submitted for the reshuffle of the government, the drafting of a new Constitution and the postponement of the presidential elections to another date. A vote on these proposals was to take place today. The House spokesman did not specify why it was postponed, leaving the issue of the electoral process and the future of Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dhaiba’s transitional National Unity (GNU) government pending.

One of the main reasons for the controversy ahead of the presidential election was whether Dbeiba was eligible to run.

Last year, when the roadmap for Libya’s exit from the crisis was drawn up under the auspices of the UN, it was decided that the transitional government would lead the country to simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections on December 24.

Parliament was elected in 2014 but soon split, as the country split between the warring sides of eastern and western Libya. Most of its members left Tripoli and settled in Tobruk, supporting the eastern Libyan side in the conflict. This week’s meeting was one of the few times since 2014 that more than 100 lawmakers from across the political spectrum took part in a debate on Libya’s future.

Another proposal that was not voted on was the expulsion of the British ambassador because London announced that the GNU remained the legitimate government and Britain would not recognize any action to form a parallel government.

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ