The Presidential Council of Libya has announced the launch of a project to resolve the political crisis in the country, which involves the end of the transition period and the early holding of parliamentary and presidential elections. Al Arabiya television channel reported this on Tuesday, citing a statement from the council.
"In response to the legitimate demands of the Libyan people and to realize their desire for change, members of the Presidential Council held a series of meetings in which they reached consensus on a common plan of action to bring the country out of the political impasse," the statement said. - "Abdallah al-Lafi, Deputy to the Presidential Council, has been instructed to hold urgent consultations with political parties <...> and then proceed to develop a roadmap that would include clear steps to end the transition and hold presidential and parliamentary elections <...>".
The statement of the Presidential Council was made against the background of intensified protests in the country. On Friday night, mass demonstrations began in several cities across the country, demanding the dissolution of the government, the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible and the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign forces. In Tobruk the protesters stormed and set fire to the House of Representatives (parliament).
Situation in Libya
In February 2021, the Forum for Libyan Political Dialogue elected in Switzerland the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU) of Libya, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, and three members of the Presidential Council. Once they took office in Tripoli, their main task was to unify the disparate power structures throughout the country and prepare and conduct Libya's presidential and parliamentary elections on December 24 of that year. However, at the very last moment they were postponed indefinitely because of the impossibility of organizing the voting and the shortcomings of the law.
Libya is in dual power after the parliament swore in the government of Fathi Bashagha in Tobruk on March 3. Lawmakers elected him as the new prime minister on February 10 after considering that the mandate of the GNU had expired at the end of December. Meanwhile, Dbeibeh refuses to leave, believing that only his cabinet has the power to make election preparations. He insists he will only hand over the reins to his legally elected successor.
On June 22, the transition period set by the UN as a result of the Geneva accords expired, by the end of which Libya should have an elected president and parliament. Under these conditions, Libyans can only watch as the country's leaders divide power among themselves, while the oil-dependent economy bears enormous losses at high world prices due to a virtual standstill in oil production and shipments.
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Based on materials from TASS