Libya’s caretaker Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on Thursday presented his proposal to the new government for parliamentary approval in an attempt to unite the country’s divided institutions, the prime minister’s office said.
“In accordance with the Roadmap to the Political Agreement … (Dbeibah), the Speaker submitted to Parliament the Parliament’s proposals for portfolio,” the Office said in a statement.
The names of Dbeibah’s proposed government were not made public, but the House of Representatives will vote on the list on Monday in the central coastal city of Sirte, halfway between the two authorities in the east and west.
According to the UN plan, the premiere has until March 19 to win approval for a cabinet before tackling the gigantic task of uniting Libya’s dispersing institutions and leading the transition to the December 24 polls.
Dbeibah was elected in early February in a UN-sponsored dialogue between Libyans, the latest internationally supported attempt to save the country from a decade of conflict and fragmented political relatives. Mohammad Younes Menfi was elected head of the interim government presidency. Mossa al-Koni and Abdullah Hussein al-Lafi were also elected as the other two members of the Presidency.
After presenting the proposal last week, Dbeibah said that the new government structure has been prepared in accordance with the UN roadmap.
“Today we have presented a proposal for a structure and a functioning vision for a national unity government together with the selection criteria for (the) team … to the Speaker of Parliament,” Dbeibah told reporters in Tripoli last week. He added that the submission was in line with the deadline set by a UN roadmap, which requires that at least 30% of the highest government tasks be filled by women and young candidates.
UN Special Envoy for Libya Jan Kubis also spoke with both Dbeibah and influential Speaker Aguila Saleh on Thursday, “emphasizing the importance of moving forward” with the March 8 vote of confidence in the government.
The interim government will replace the Tripoli-based National Accord Government (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj. GNA joined in 2015 under a UN-led agreement. But efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to a military offensive launched by militias loyal to Putist general Khalifa Haftar.
Libya has remained turbulent since 2011 when a bloody NATO uprising led to the ouster and assassination of longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi after more than four decades in power.
Since then, Libya’s strong political division has given rise to two rival seats of power – one in Tobruk and one in Tripoli – and a host of heavily armed militias.
In addition, international mercenaries and weapons have flowed into the country since Haftar launched its offensive, with Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as Haftar’s main suppliers. According to the UN, there are currently 20,000 foreign fighters and mercenaries in Libya.
A deadline on January 23 for their withdrawal passed without any signs that they were withdrawing.
.
