Libyan government could face reshuffle amid election date pressure

UN special adviser Stephanie Williams urges country to focus on the future

A group of young Libyan activists protest against the postponement of the presidential elections in Martyrs Square, Tripoli, on December 25, 2021. AFP

Amid international pressure on the Libyan government to set a new date for presidential elections, Libya’s interim government might be facing a reshuffle.

The mandate for the transitional Government of National Unity was meant to end on December 24, when the poll was scheduled to be held, but was delayed after disagreements on the final list of candidates.

UN Special Adviser on Libya Stephanie Williams said on Monday that the focus should be on ending the country’s “interminable transitional period” rather than making changes to the present government.

But on the same day, the parliament’s electoral committee recommended that a “realistic roadmap measured in stages, not in dates” be set in place to “prevent a repeat” of the December 24 experience, which it blamed on the High National Elections Commission.

The parliament also suggested a GNU restructure to improve political stability.

High hopes were placed on the presidential election. It was were meant to put an end to the political, economic and security crisis that followed the Nato-backed removal of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.

As Libya celebrated its 70th anniversary for independence on Saturday, the British embassy issued a statement recognising the GNU as the country’s official authority until elections are held.

The parliament saw this as an attempt to intervene in the country’s politics.

On Monday, it declared the British ambassador to Tripoli persona non grata.

HNEC said it had disqualified 25 of the 98 applicants for the presidential elections.

A parliamentary session on Monday was suspended. It was due to resume yesterday so the fate of its interim prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, could be discussed.

Mr Dbeibah is himself is a candidate, despite having promised previously that he would not run for the presidency.

The GNU was created in March after UN-backed talks that brought together warring factions for the first time.

With delays and talk of reshuffles rife, fear of an escalation in violence is mounting.

Mistrust among factions and rival militias has prompted local and international officials to call for calm and caution.

Last week, armed militia set up roadblocks across the country.

On Thursday, the UN Special Mission to Libya said: “The current mobilisation of forces affiliated with different groups creates tension and increases the risk of clashes that could spiral into conflict.”

The next day, Washington, Germany, Britain, France and Italy said the GNU should remain in power until a vote for a new president takes place.

In a statement, the US embassy said: “Now is not the time for unilateral actions or armed deployments that risk escalation.”