Libyan delegates to vote for interim prime minister
Seventy-five representatives of different regions in Libya will cast their votes this week for an interim prime minister and a three-member presidential council.
Dozens of representatives from Libya’s rival parties will cast their votes this week for a temporary executive government to prepare the war-torn country for general elections later this year.
The voting comes as part of a renewed push to reach a political solution after six years of civil war. The country’s warring sides — the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army (LNA) — signed a cease-fire agreement in October last year and agreed to hold nationwide elections.
Seventy-five Libyan delegates are gathering Feb. 1-5 in the Swiss city of Geneva to choose from a list of names approved by the UN Mission in Libya. Twenty-four candidates are vying for seats on the three-member presidential council and 21 candidates are running for interim prime minister. The newly elected Libyan leaders will stay on until general elections are held on Dec. 24.
Libya’s Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga is the frontrunner for prime minister and candidates for the presidential council include Aguila Saleh, the speaker of the eastern-based parliament, and Khaled al-Meshri, who heads the Tripoli-based legislative assembly.
