Libyan interim government will be chosen in Switzerland
The new caretaker government will govern the country until the general elections expected to take place in December.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Libya's new political leadership - until the elections in December - will be decided on Swiss soil, it has been announced.
This content was published on
2 minutes
RTS/ac
Members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) will meet in Switzerland in early February to elect their interim executive. The 75 representatives of the Forum have been invited by the UN Mission in Libya (UNMIL), whose new head Jan Kubis is due to begin his term of office at the beginning of February.
In its announcement on Thursday evening, UNMIL did not specify whether the election would take place at the Palais des Nations, the seat of the UN in Geneva, as several recent meetings on Libya have done. What is known is that the members of the LPDF will meet from February 1 to 5 for this election.
As of Thursday, candidates for the three seats on the governing Presidential Council have one week to declare their intention to run. An 18-member LPDF committee representing various regions of Libya will decide their fate while the entire 75-member LPDF will elect an interim prime minister. There have been several disagreements about the process of selecting the interim leaders of the nation.
The country must try to reunite after years of conflict that has resulted in many civilian casualties. The running of the country is split between the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), which controls the west of the country, and forces loyal to the rebel General Khalifa Haftar in the east.
Foreign military and mercenaries
Despite the cessation of violence, tens of thousands of foreign military and mercenaries in Libya, supporting both sides, are still estimated to be in the country. They were due to leave by the end of this week.
The United Nations Security Council will consider a resolution on whether to add mercenary monitoring to the UNMIL’s mandate in a few days’ time.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
Why cars still reign supreme in ‘rail-nation’ Switzerland
Swiss government adopts three-pronged approach to end violence against women
This content was published on
Over the next few years, the federal government intends to take action against gender-based violence in three main areas.
Uri voters clear path for hotel and marina complex in central Switzerland
This content was published on
Voters in canton Uri in central Switzerland have rejected a Green Party initiative aimed at regulating the development of the lakeside site in Isleten.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Warning from Geneva: perpetrators of Libyan atrocities will be held accountable
This content was published on
Geneva-based political scientist Hasni Abidi discusses the recent UN Human Rights Council resolution on the Libyan conflict.
This content was published on
The visit comes as Tripoli begins to open its market up to foreign businesses following the lifting of economic sanctions. The delegation, which will be in Libya until May 4, is led by the head of bilateral economic relations at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco), Jörg Reding. Reding is accompanied by other members…
Swiss call for political solution to Libya fighting
This content was published on
The Swiss government has urged all parties in the military conflict in Libya to agree to a truce that would allow humanitarian operations to proceed.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.