On Monday, the Libyan Parliament held a plenary session to discuss the amended 2021 budget submitted to it by the Government of National Unity (GNU), led by Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba.
During the session, MP’s agreed to only approve the budget’s first chapter, which is related to salaries, at the value of 34.6 billion Libyan dinars.
On 20 April, the Parliament rejected the first draft budget, returning it to the Prime Minister for review and amendment. This was due to the budget being too large for an interim government, and a lack of strong monitoring mechanisms.
It is believed that the Parliament will resolve the issue of sovereign state positions before approving the budget, to ensure the monitoring of the GNU, and the unification of financial and regulatory institutions, which remain divided. Both of these issues are important to provide services, engage in reconstruction, and maintain security in Libya.
Notably, the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) will hold a virtual meeting under the auspices of the UN, to discuss the electoral basis for the upcoming December elections.