The Libyan House of Representatives continues its process of interviewing candidates for the position of the new prime minister, with a vote among its members scheduled for next week to decide on the appointment. Member of the House, Abdulmanam Al-Arifi, stated that the number of candidates for the prime minister role does not exceed seven, following the exclusion of several applications due to security constraints and existing legal cases against some applicants.
Al-Arifi explained that the upcoming phase will involve a detailed review of the candidates’ applications and programs, after which members will cast their votes to select the new prime minister. He also noted the presence of suspicions regarding potential fraud in some nominations, mentioning that several members claimed their names were listed without their consent, raising concerns about the integrity of the nomination process.
During yesterday’s session, candidate Abdulkarim Magiq outlined that his program aims primarily to establish a government that unifies Libyan institutions and succeeds in ensuring stability while showcasing the image of Libyan democracy to the world. He emphasized achieving security through support for the Ministry of Interior, enforcing justice in accordance with Libyan law, and revitalizing the social situation for citizens via the Aamal program, which will allocate 250 projects over two years to assist youth and the working class, in addition to improving financial resources and managing them effectively to gain the trust of Libyan citizens.
Candidate Abdulhakim Baio confirmed that if tasked with forming a government, it would remain neutral and be named the “Libyan Government for Elections” for a duration of one year, extendable only once for six additional months. He pointed out that the government’s mission would be to unify institutions, safeguard public funds, promote comprehensive political reconciliation, combat corruption, and facilitate transparent, fair elections without a budget or developmental commitments. Additionally, he aims to unify sovereign positions, achieve stability, establish a military institution, and reach an agreement on a clear and temporary constitutional basis for a referendum on the final constitution, bolstering the judiciary and completing the commission’s work that had stalled at 98 previously approved candidates and nearly 2 million registered voters.
Roadmap
In the same vein, candidate Fadel Al-Amin highlighted that his proposed program serves as a roadmap to conclude transitional phases, aiming ultimately to lead the country to transparent and inclusive elections. This involves the political establishment of a unified state and government, bringing an end to division and duplication, and building a legitimately recognized executive authority. He emphasized the need to precisely and patiently address the causes and consequences of division, restore trust in state institutions, unify security, judicial, and military entities, disband uncontrolled armed groups, and reintegrate qualified personnel into defense and interior institutions after rigorous training, while endorsing the constitutional declaration as a legal foundation until a permanent constitution is adopted. Furthermore, he proposed establishing a binding mechanism for power transition to prevent multiple legitimacies, setting the stage for synchronized presidential and parliamentary elections while preparing society for participation in these elections.
Action Plan
Meanwhile, the Revival of Libya bloc, led by presidential candidate Aref Al-Nayed, announced it has submitted a detailed action plan to the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. This plan aims to form an emergency government responsible for overseeing preparations for presidential and legislative elections and resolving the current political deadlock.
The bloc affirmed its support for the first option outlined in the advisory committee’s proposals regarding the establishment of a unified, neutral executive authority with a mandate not exceeding 24 months, accompanied by strict legal guarantees to ensure the implementation of electoral requirements and prevent any attempts to obstruct them, especially in regard to the presidential elections.
The bloc also proposed that the UN mission call for an urgent meeting to be held in Geneva, under its supervision, lasting five days, during which the prime minister of the emergency government would be selected, subject to approval by all attending institutions and the UN Security Council, with the appointed prime minister taking an oath before the head of the Supreme Judicial Council.