On Wednesday, the United Nations political chief warned that Libya could again see two rival administrations and a return to instability, calling for elections as soon as possible to unify the oil-rich North African nation.
Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the U.N. Security Council she is encouraged by the support for a U.N. initiative to convene a joint committee from Libya's rival House of Representatives and High State Council with a goal of reaching agreement by both bodies "on a constitutional basis that would lead to elections this year."
The crisis erupted after Libya failed to hold its first presidential elections on Dec. 24 under a U.N.-led reconciliation effort.
The country´s east-based House of Representatives named a new prime minister, former interior minister Fathi Bashagha, to lead a new interim government in February. The lawmakers claimed the mandate of interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who is based in the capital, Tripoli, expired when the election failed to take place.
But Dbeibah insists he will remain, prime minister, until elections are held, and the High State Council, which advises the interim government, called parliament´s decision to name a new prime minister "incorrect" before holding elections.
DiCarlo said U.N. special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, on March 3 asked the House of Representatives speaker and High State Council president to appoint six members to the joint committee and both responded favorably. She said the council nominated its representatives on Tuesday and the U.N. expects the House of Representatives to do the same in the coming days.
Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed 2011 uprising toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. For years, it has been split between rival administrations in the east and the west, each supported by an array of militias and foreign governments.
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