Libya... Who Will Head New Presidential Council, Government ?

As the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, held in Tunis, is continuing to complete the consensus on the road map, some details have been disclosed on Saturday.

The UN mission in Libya announced that elections will be held in December 2021, while consultations are now underway regarding the formation of a new presidential council and a government.

Among the strongly endorsed names for the chairmanship of the Presidency Council, Counselor Aguila Saleh, the current speaker of Parliament in Sirte.

In the meantime, the name of the Minister of Interior, Fathi Bashagha, is circulating for the presidency of the government, along with some names, including Abdul Hamid Dabaiba and Aref al-Nayed.

However, al-Nayed’s name may be excluded due to political calculations that recommend that the chairmanships of the presidency council and the government must be from different regions.

Sources to Moscow-based Sputnik agency said that “There is some refusal to put the name of Saleh to the presidency and Interior Minister Bashagha to head the government, and that this refusal came from the civil current within the committee."

According to the source, "some other names are on the table for discussion, including Counselor Abdel-Jawad Al-Obeidi, Chairman of the Court of Appeal for the chairmanship of the Presidential Council, and Othman Abdel-Jalil, former Minister of Education in the Government of National Accord."

Stephanie Williams, the acting UN envoy to Libya, announced on Friday, November 13th, that a date had been reached for the Libyan parliamentary and presidential elections.

In statements, Williams indicated that an agreement had been reached between the participants in the ongoing "5 + 5" political talks, and they set December 2021 as the date for the presidential and parliamentary elections.

The UN envoy noted that the participants agreed that the Libyan parliamentary and presidential elections will take place on December 24, 2021.

In Sirte, the Libyan Military Committee announced "5 + 5", on Thursday, November 12, that it had agreed to open a coastal road and to evacuate the contact area between fighters.