Libyan Interim Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah presided over a government council on Thursday, marking his official return to office after taking time off to compete for president in a failed election.

Mr. Dbeibah first stated that the political situation is “critical,” referring to Libya’s failure to hold the presidential election scheduled for December 24 – the first of a head of state elected by universal suffrage in Libya – which had been widely anticipated as the end of the UN-sponsored peace process.

A legislative committee ruled two days before the election that it was impossible to organize the vote due to insurmountable differences, particularly over the legal basis of the election during which several polarizing candidates had to participate.

During the process, the High Electoral Commission requested that it be postponed to January 24. However, the Parliament has yet to ratify this date, leaving the election date in limbo. The election is intended to bring the country out of a decade of chaos since Muammar Gaddafi’s regime fell in 2011.

Since its mandate was about to expire on December 24, the interim administration in Tripoli (west) found itself weakened. The Tobruk (east) Parliament is currently debating a prospective government reshuffle.

Mr. Dbeibah, himself a contender, defended his performance, despite having sworn not to run for president when he was named leader of the interim administration in February.
He urged his ministers to “prepare for a significant (economic) rebound in 2022,” saying, “We have fought to restore security and promote stability.”

Court cases involving two of the administration’s ministers have also shook the executive.

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Morocco announced that Libya has chosen to withdraw its candidacy for membership in the African Union’s Peace and Security Council for the term 2022-2025 in favor of the Kingdom.

Rabat reported that the decision was announced during a phone discussion between Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Libyan counterpart, Najla AlMangoush, on Sunday.

The Moroccan Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Bourita confirmed during the call the “strong support of the Kingdom of Morocco” to the government of national unity and Libyan institutions, in accordance with King Mohammed VI’s guidelines, and “support for its efforts to hold elections in a comprehensive, participatory, and pragmatic framework, which contributes to the efforts of finding a final solution to the crisis that guarantees Libya’s stabilization.”

Bourita thanked the national unity administration, led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah, on “the wisdom it has showed since taking its responsibilities,” according to the statement.

According to the statement, the phone call “provided an opportunity for the two ministers to consult and collaborate on regional and international matters.”

According to AlMangoush, “in the context of the strong brotherly relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the sisterly state of Libya,” “the State of Libya has decided to withdraw its candidacy for membership in the Peace and Security Council of the African Union by drawing up a mandate 2022-2025, waiving it in favor of the Kingdom of Morocco and supporting the Moroccan candidacy for this mandate.” “This judgment will be conveyed to the African Union Commission,” she continued.

According to the statement, the two ministers also discussed “the situation of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, affirming their determination to coordinate in order to give a strong impetus to the organization and the return of its institutions to work in their official and natural headquarters.”

Libya is set to hold its first round of presidential elections on December 24, following years of UN-led efforts to end the country’s civil conflict and restore political stability.

However, the next election will encounter numerous hurdles, including unresolved issues with election laws and periodic infighting between armed factions. Other impediments include the country’s deep schism between east and west, as well as the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and forces.

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