Al-Qubba— In a new twist in the political saga in Libya, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Agila Saleh, said Friday that Libya is moving steadily towards forming a new unified government in coordination between the HoR and the High State Council (HSC).
The selection of the new Prime Minister will be done through a transparent process and in an open parliamentarian session, the speaker stressed, and concerned parties are welcome to attend the debates as to ensure the integrity of the procedures, the speaker said.
Mr. Saleh revealed, in an interview with Libya Al-Hadath TV on Friday, that the parliament has accepted two additional candidate applications that meet the requirements for the position of Prime Minister.
He also announced an upcoming visit by a group of members of the HSC, to the city of Al-Qubba in eastern Libya next week, to discuss the final steps of forming the unified government along with other issues.
The idea of forming a unity government, however, is currently becoming a controversial matter as the Government of National Unity (GNU) headed by Mr. Abdulhmid Dbeibeh is strongly resisting it.
Dbeibeh maintains that there should be no new government or elections unless there is a constitution first. On 14 December, he slammed rival political forces accusing them of wanting “temporary measures so they can continue in the scene.”
The Speaker reiterated the need and the importance of international support through advisory committees to provide expertise in areas such as local governance, wealth management and its fair distribution, as well as the unification of oversight institutions such as the Administrative Control Authority, the Anti-Corruption Authority, and the Audit Bureau.
Saleh spoke also about sending a letter to the UN Security Council demanding the preservation of Libyan funds frozen abroad against any illegal actions.
In addition, the parliament has communicated with the representative of South Africa who confirmed his country’s support for the parliament’s measures aiming at forming a new government that will be supervising the elections and implement transitional tasks, he said.
He pointed out that Khaled Shakshak, the controversial head of the Audit Bureau, will continue to perform his duties until the legal procedures are finalized, and any change in the leadership of the Bureau will only take place after the formation of the new government.