A MAKE-OR-BREAK MOMENT FOR LIBYA’S TRANSITION
The Rome MED This Week newsletter provides expert analysis and informed comments on the MENA region’s most significant issues and trends. Today we turn the spotlight on Libya, where the protracted debate on the new electoral law and the no confidence vote against Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah threaten the country’s fragile transition process and raise concerns over Libyan stability ahead of the election.
One year into the October 2020 ceasefire agreement, Libya is once again in turmoil. On September 21st, 2021, the House of Representatives passed a no confidence motion against the Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. This political move came after weeks of heated debate around Libya’s new electoral law, approved in August by the Tobruk-based Parliament but then rejected by the High Council of State in Tripoli. These tensions come at a moment of particular fragility for Libya’s transition, with foreign troops and mercenaries still deployed on the ground and a struggling economy after a decade of war and instability. Amid these growing tensions, a few days ago, General Khalifa Haftar announced the suspension of his military role, paving the way for his participation in the presidential bid. Given these circumstances, it is difficult to predict how events will unfold in the following months, leaving the country in an increasingly tense situation.
Experts from the ISPI MED network react to the latest developments clouding Libya’s transition.
