Libiyan Political Dialogue Forum sponsored by the United Nations (UN) agreed to form an interim government in Libya with Abdul Hamid Dbeibah as prime minister. The members of Libiyan Political Dialogue Forum elected the PM and other members of interim council under the UN supervised process held in Geneva on February 5. Mr Dbeibeh has until February 26 to present a new government to the parliament. The parliament then has three weeks to approve it.
“My appeal to everybody is to recognize and accept these results and to work with the new authorities that were elected,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
75 members from Libya participated in the Libyan Dialogue forum and elected Mohammed al-Menfi as president and head of a three-man presidency council. Musa al-Koni as the deputy and Abdullah al-Lafi are the other two members of the presidency council with the president as head. Musa al-Koni is from the south, and Abdullah al-Lafi is from the west of Libya, representing different regions.
The UN sponsored dialogue also resolved to hold elections later this year. The elected candidates have signed pledges to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on December 24 later this year and not to run for office then.
Since the 2011 ouster of Muammar Gaddafi’s four-decade rule, Libya has been in chaos. Many warring factions have emerged in the country with some supported by different foreign powers.
The United States (US) has welcomed the formation of an interim government.
“We welcome this news. We fully support this outcome of the U.N.-facilitated process that will lead to a stable, secure Libya and elections in December of 2021,” said US Department of State spokesman Ned Price in a statement.
Turkey, which supports the government in Tripoli, welcomed the new interim government.
“This democratic step taken by our Libyan brothers and sisters on the basis of dialogue and national reconciliation, constitutes a significant opportunity for preserving Libya’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity as well as securing the political unity of the country,” said the statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkey.
