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New interim government elected for Libya

2021-02-05T21:25:06.110Z


Civil war has raged in Libya since Gaddafi was overthrown - a new interim government is now to bridge the gap. Observers fear, however, that the power struggles in the country are far from being resolved.


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Children carry the Libyan flag on Martyrs Square in the capital Tripoli

Photo: HAZEM AHMED / REUTERS

The conflicting parties in Libya have elected a new transitional government, which is supposed to pave the way for nationwide elections in the civil war country in December.

The participants in a Libyan dialogue forum elected a new Prime Minister and a three-person Presidium in Switzerland on Friday under UN supervision.

With these four posts, the camps from the east and west, which have been hostile for years, are to be united.

The activist and businessman Abdul Hamid Dbaiba is to become the new prime minister.

"The Libyan people want to live," he said at the UN forum.

Mohammed Minfi from eastern Libya, Libya's former ambassador to Greece, is said to be at the head of the presidium.

From there he was expelled in 2019 after Turkey had concluded several agreements with Tripoli and Ankara then entered the conflict militarily.

He described efforts to end the division of the country as the most important task of the Presidential Council.

Musa al-Kuni and Abdulla Hussein al-Lafi were also elected to the Presidium.

The result was only known on Friday after a narrow runoff election and several ballots.

Surprisingly, the electoral list of the East Libyan parliamentary leader Agila Saleh and Interior Minister Fathi Baschagha failed.

The two are political heavyweights in their respective camps.

Saleh is seen as the new leader in the East after General Khalifa Haftar's failed offensive on Tripoli.

45 candidates had applied for the post.

The UN Assistance Mission for Libya (UNSMIL) invited 75 Libyans who represent various political, regional and tribal groups to the forum.

The incumbent UN mediator for Libya, Stephanie Williams, had promised an "open and transparent selection process".

The meetings, at which the candidates introduced themselves and also answered questions from the population, were broadcast on the Internet.

Foreign actors fuel the conflict

Civil war broke out in Libya after long-term ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011.

After an offensive on Tripoli, there have been no major skirmishes since June and a ceasefire has been in effect since October.

The troops and allies of Prime Minister Fajis al-Sarradsch and his opponent Haftar are still stationed on the fronts.

Foreign powers are also fueling the conflict.

The Turkish troops and Russian mercenaries supporting various sides have not withdrawn, contrary to what was agreed in the ceasefire.

The new executive authority is to replace the Sarradsch government and the counter-government in the east of the country, which Haftar supported in his offensive on Tripoli.

Al-Sarradsch, currently also chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, did not run for office.

Observers criticized the fact that some applicants - such as members of the military or the judiciary - would violate Libyan law with their candidacy.

For example, the Libyan political scientist Mohamed Eljarh wrote on Twitter that “dinosaurs” would compete against “kleptocrats” in the election.

Some Libyans also completely rejected the UN process and viewed it as a "conspiracy carried out by foreign powers to keep old faces in power," wrote Claudia Gazzini from the Crisis Group.

Who will rule the oil-rich country after the elections on December 24th is open.

The candidates for the transitional government pledged not to run.

They also promised to recognize the result of Friday's election.

Nevertheless, observers fear that the power struggles could continue.

It is also unclear how Haftar and his self-proclaimed Libyan National Army will react to the election.

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bmo / svv / dpa

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-02-05

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