Libyan newspaper says country still seeking way out of political crisis
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - A Libyan newspaper, Al-Wasat, says the North African country is still seeking a way out of the political crisis despite a number of proposed initiatives for its resolution.
In an analysis, entitled: "Where is the Libyan political scene going", al-Wassat noted that with the advent of the month of Ramadan, calm has reigned on the Libyan scene so far.
Faced with the political crisis, the Libyan weekly published in Cairo, Egypt, is insisting on the need to advance the political process and resume preparations for an electoral procedure, which was interrupted because of the failure to hold the presidential election on 24 December due to what the head of the Libyan High Electoral Commission, Imad al-Sayeh, described as "force majeure".
The newspaper recalls that the political crisis in Libya began to worsen in September 2021, when Parliament passed a vote a no-confidence against the Government of National Unity (GNU) led by Prime Minister Abdelhamid al-Dbaiba.
This was followed by the postponement of the 24 December, 2021 election, Parliament's appointment of a new government led by Fathi Bachagha, a decision that Mr. al-Dbaiba strongly rejected.
Faced with these developments, the Libyan weekly recalls the existence of three initiatives to end the political crisis: the one put forward by Parliament, GNU and the UN Secretary General's Special Adviser on Libya, Mrs. Stephanie Williams.
Despite these imitiatives, the road does not seem to be paved for the three initiatives, according to the newspaper. It adds, however, that there are a number of reasons specific to each initiative that prevent its success given that each of the parties in the political crisis is sticking to its position.
However, a new development has occurred on the political scene that has given a new impetus to the initiative of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General.
This is turnaround by Parliament which, after procrastination, finally appointed its 12 members to a 24-member committee with the High National Council to draft a law for the constitutional basis for elections.
This new position of Parliament is synonymous with an acceptance of the proposal presented by the United Nations, paving the way for talks between the two chambers on a constitutional basis for elections in Libya.
Al-Wasat reports that a nuance has appeared in the positions of Egypt, Turkey and Algeria, and with it Russia, regarding the recent developments in Libya, while the Western powers have lined up behind the UN Mission which advocates the need to organise elections as soon as possible.
The Libyan weekly notes, moreover, that there is a problem of differences between the major powers on the mandate of Mrs. Williams, and the renewal of her mission.
It said that the political progress in Libya for the next stage will remain dependent on the international consensus on the status of the UN Support Mission in Libya leading the political process and sponsoring the dialogue between the parties to the crisis.
-0- PANA BY/JSG/BBA/MA 9April2022
