Libya’s embattled prime minister has warned that appointing a new interim government could spark war and chaos in the Mediterranean country, which is already mired in decade-old turmoil. In a late Monday address to Libyans, Prime Minister Abdul Hamdi Dbeibah reiterated his commitment to handing over power only to an elected government.
Any attempt to rash and farce to Government of Libya can trigger war
Dbeibah characterized any attempt to install an interim government as “rash” and a “farce” that could result in additional wars. He was referring to the House of Representatives’ ongoing efforts to ratify a new government led by Prime Minister-designate Fathi Bashaga. “I will not accept, in any form, ceding (power) to chaos,” he stated. “The sole solution,” he stated, “is an election.”
The east-based parliament named Bashaga, a powerful former interior minister from western Misrata, to form a new interim government earlier this month. This week, he must present his Cabinet to the legislature. Bashagha’s appointment was part of a 14-month timeline for elections. Dbeibah mentioned “war” or “wars” eight times in his eight-page speech. He characterized the move by the parliament as a “failed maneuver” that will result in “war and chaos.”
He stated that he attempted to resolve the current impasse through negotiations with his adversaries, but his efforts were unsuccessful. He accused one rival, commander Khalifa Hifter, of inciting the country’s “political chaos.” Hifter, who led a failed offensive to recapture the capital, Tripoli, from rival militias in 2019, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dbeibah, like Bashaga, proposed a four-point roadmap leading to a concurrent parliamentary vote and referendum on constitutional amendments in late June, followed by a presidential election after the new parliament crafts a permanent constitution. He made no mention of a date for the presidential election. The presidential election was originally scheduled for December 24 but was postponed due to disagreements between rival factions over election laws and controversial presidential candidates.
Legislators have argued that Dbeibah’s government’s mandate expired on December 24. Dbeibah appealed for what he called a “truly national movement” to push for elections in an attempt to court Libyans wary of war and chaos.
Libya has been unable to hold elections since a disputed legislative vote in 2014 split the country into rival administrations backed by armed militias and foreign governments for years. Since the NATO-backed uprising deposed and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, the oil-rich North African nation has been wracked by conflict.