Approving Libyan new gov’t crucial to overcoming differences: analysts

by Mahmoud Darwesh

Libyan analysts believe that granting confidence to the new Government of National Unity is crucial to overcoming political differences, on which the parties agreed in Geneva weeks ago.

They showed worries that the delay in enabling the new government to replace the current UN-backed Government of National Accord would bring back political chaos, following months of dialogue that ended the war and selected a new executive authority.

“The House of Representatives (HoR) is delaying an extraordinary session to grant confidence to the Government of National Unity. This is a dangerous retreat and will have repercussions on the current temporary political stability,” Faraj al-Daly, a Libyan political analyst, told Xinhua.

“The claim that the dispute among HoR members is over the city to host the confidence-granting session is an inaccurate description of the reality of the disagreement,” al-Daly said.

A major disagreement emerged among HoR members over which city would host the session, as the cities of Ghadames, Sirte, and Sabratha are considered candidates.

“The deputies are divided into groups, and each group is trying to add its candidate to the government of Prime Minister-designate Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who alluded to facing political pressures even before his government is approved,” he added.

Newly-selected Dbeibah on Thursday presented the ministerial structure of his government to the HoR. “The announcement of the names (of the cabinet) will be done as soon as the HoR session is held,” he said, pointing out that his government would be “technocrat and professional” representing all Libyans.

Libyan political affairs expert Fatima al-Zaidi believes that Dbeibah’s presentation of the government structure raised concern among the Libyans over pressure on him from the HoR.

“Dbeibah hinted more than once in his press conference that this stage is difficult and needs great concessions. His attempt to propose a cabinet representing all parts of Libya and his hope that the HoR will quickly grant it confidence are all messages that the new prime minister is under pressure from the HoR. This may threaten the approval of his government,” she told Xinhua.

Al-Zaidi pointed out that some HoR members wish to gain a ministerial post for their relatives or even themselves in exchange for approving the new government. “Some HoR members appeared in the media and said that some of their colleagues are putting pressure on Dbeibah, and they are explicitly asking for high positions in the new government for them, for people close to them, or for representatives of their cities in exchange for granting confidence to the government,” she said. The prime minister-designate has called on all the Libyan parties to make “painful concessions” to ease the suffering of the Libyans due to the political division in the country.

However, Miloud Al-Hajj, a Libyan university professor, believes that the dispute within the HoR can be overcome by adopting “the second option.”

“When the new executive authority was selected by the members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), two methods were identified to grant confidence to the new government: the first is through the HoR within a specific period of time ending on March 19, and the second option is, in case the HoR fails to approve the government, the government is presented to the members of the LPDF, who can grant it without the need to resort to the HoR,” Al-Hajj said.

The UN-sponsored LPDF has recently selected the new executive authority for the country, which was welcomed by all the Libyan parties.

The new authority’s main task is to prepare the country for the upcoming general elections on Dec. 24, 2021, also agreed by the LPDF.

Xinhua News Agency