Libya's Dbeibah Promises New Election Law to Solve Political Crisis

Arab World

February 11th, 5:16am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah speaks after submitting his candidacy papers for the upcoming presidential election at the headquarters of the electoral commission in Tripoli, Libya November 21, 2021. (Reuters)

Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah on Friday promised to draft a new election law to solve the political crisis in the North African country. A day after surviving an alleged assassination attempt, Dbeibah told Libya Al Ahrar TV a bill would be presented to the House of Representatives then transferred to the presidential council for ratifying. Libya was meant to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in December, but arguments between factions and bodies of state over how they should take place meant the process collapsed days before the vote. Nearly 3 million Libyans signed up to vote in the December election, and the political jostling and delays that have followed have infuriated many. The interview came after an assassination attempt which Dbeibah said he escaped unharmed early on Thursday. Dbeibah said two mercenaries were hired to kill him but he did not elaborate on who was behind the alleged attack. Reuters has been unable to independently verify the details or speak to witnesses. Libya's political rifts deepened after the parliament spokesperson declared Fathi Bashagha as the new interim prime minister on Thursday, a move which Dbeibah rejected. "The Parliament's selection of a new government is another attempt to enter Tripoli by force," Dbeibah said in the interview. He said the parliament's move was similar to what happened in 2019 when the Libyan National Army (LNA) of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar and his army attacked Tripoli.

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