Libyan sides meet to discuss temporary government for elections

Delegates will select a new prime minister and a three-member presidency council to lead the country until elections in December

Acting UN envoy for Libya Stephanie Williams delivers remarks at the opening of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum at an undisclosed location, Switzerland. AFP

Delegates stand during the national anthem at the opening of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum at an undisclosed location near Geneva, Switzerland, to choose a new temporary executive to lead the country through a transition until elections scheduled for December. AFP

Another view of delegates standing during the national anthem at the opening of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum. AFP

Acting UN envoy for Libya Stephanie Williams with representatives at the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum at an undisclosed location, Switzerland. Reuters

The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum takes place at an undisclosed location, Switzerland. Reuters

The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum underway at an undisclosed location, Switzerland. Reuters

Overview of the first day of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum at an undisclosed location, Switzerland. Reuters

Delegates at the opening of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum. AFP

Libyan delegates were due to meet on Monday for UN-backed talks in Geneva to choose a new temporary executive to lead the war-scarred country through a transition until scheduled December elections.

The 75 participants at the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum have until Friday to select a prime minister and a three-member presidency council from a list of 45 candidates, Libya's UN mission UNSMIL said.

Oil-rich Libya has been torn by civil war since a Nato-backed uprising led to the removal and killing of long-time dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.

The country is now split between the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) and its rival, the eastern-based House of Representatives, and its Libyan National Army of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

A fragile ceasefire agreed to in Geneva last October has largely held despite appearing to be on the brink of collapse several times.

The list of candidates unveiled on Saturday by the UN includes 21 names for the position of prime minister and 24 for the presidency council.

"This new interim, unified executive authority will be primarily tasked to lead Libya to national elections set for 24 December 2021, and to reunify state institutions," the UNSMIL said.

The list of candidates was approved in political talks held in November between the 75 delegates selected by the UN to represent a cross section of Libyan society.

Among the names for the premiership are Fathi Bashagha, the powerful GNA interior minister, and the current deputy prime minister of the Tripoli-based presidential council, Ahmad Meitig.

Nominations for the presidency council include GNA Defence Minister Salahuddin Al Namroush and the head of the Tripoli-based High Council of State, Khalid Al Mishri.

Council candidates from the east include key power broker Aguila Saleh, the current Speaker of the Tobruk-based parliament, and Mohammed Al Bargathi, Libya's ambassador to Jordan.

The political talks started in mid-November in Tunisia, where the 75 delegates were assigned the task of laying out a road map towards elections.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on January 19 hailed the "tangible progress" made in recent months to restore stability in Libya.

His comments came in a report to the Security Council in which he demanded that all foreign troops and mercenaries involved in the Libya conflict leave the country by January 23.

But foreign forces – 20,000 troops and mercenaries by UN estimates – have ignored the deadline to pull out of Libya.