On Sunday, the Libyan Parliament-designated Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, held talks with a number of members of the High Council of State (HCS), at the Cabinet’s headquarters in Sirte to discuss the latest political developments in the country.
In a statement, the government’s media office stated that the meeting discussed the political situation in Libya, especially with regard to building upon the consensus reached by the Parliament and HCS on the constitutional basis aimed to lead the country to presidential and parliamentary elections before the end of this year.
During the meeting, Bashagha and the HCS members also touched on the new United Nations (UN)-led roadmap announced by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN, Abdoulaye Bathily.
On February 27th, Bathily announced an initiative aimed at enabling legislative and Presidential elections this year, and will set up a high-level steering panel, he told the UN Security Council earlier this month.
The proposed mechanism will bring together all relevant Libyan stakeholders, including representatives of political institutions, major political figures, tribal leaders, civil society organisations, security actors, women, and youth representatives.
Bathily noted that the initiative will facilitate the adoption of the legal framework and time-bound roadmap to the holding of elections in 2023. The proposed panel will also “provide a platform to advance consensus around related matters, such as election security and the adoption of a Code of Conduct for all candidates,” he added.
Libya is currently facing a political crisis after the Libyan Parliament swore in a new Prime Minister, former Interior Minister, Fathi Bashagha in February 2022. Members of Parliament argued that the incumbent Prime Minister, Abdelhamid Dbaiba’s mandate expired when the elections failed to take place.
Dbaiba has refused to cede power, amid the fallout from a failed attempt to hold national elections in December 2021.
Libya has been locked in a political stalemate since late 2021, when the scheduled elections were canceled because of disputes over the rules and the eastern-based Parliament, withdrew support from the interim government.
Peacemaking efforts since then have focused on getting the Parliament and the HCS to agree on a constitutional basis for elections and voting rules.
