The postponement of the elections
Libya thus ends up with two prime ministers when, in truth, there should have been none. Dbeibah, appointed in February to lead the government of national agreement, had resigned at the end of December to participate in the presidential elections on 24 December (despite the fact that he had declared that he would not be running). Elections on which the UN and the West were strongly aiming, but postponed a few days before the vote due to a hostile climate to say the least. The Electoral Commission, in fact, had failed to examine the hundreds of candidacies, the lack of an agreement on a badly born electoral law, and the usual rivalries, had given way to a series of armed clashes, making the postponement of the election inevitable. vote (postponed to a date to be defined). Dbeibah thus decided to return to his place and fill the post of premier which would have remained vacant. Decision contested by the Tobruk Parliament, which considers its mandate expired since December 24 and voted no confidence a few weeks ago.
Unclear appointment
On Thursday 10 the appointment of Bashaga, which took place with an unclear operation. Shortly before, in fact, the president of parliament Aguila Saleh told lawmakers in a session on TV that Bashaga had become the only candidate for the office since the other contender, Khalid al-Baibas, had withdrawn. Al-Baibas, however, would have denied it. Bashaga will still have the support of the armed forces led by General Khalifa Haftar, the LNA.
But who is Fathi Bashaga? A 59-year-old former pilot and businessman, he is one of the most influential figures in western Libya. Close to the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic movement hated by Haftar, when he was Minister of the Interior (2018 – early 2021), has cultivated somewhat ties with all the countries involved in Libya. With Turkey, France and the USA, but also with Egypt and Russia. He is believed to have ties to those Misrata militias who were protagonists in the defense of Tripoli against the offensive launched by Haftar in 2019. As enemies, Bashaga and Haftar would now be allies.
A move that shuffles the cards
The move of the Tobruk Parliament turns the tables and deals a severe blow to those European countries, Italy in the lead, which were closest to Dbeibah (and his plan to go to the polls in five months) and consider the elections as a fundamental step .
The United Nations on Thursday evening reiterated that they continue to support Dbeibah as Libyan prime minister. Which would enjoy the support of the High Council of State of Libya, based in Tripoli. The position of the foreign countries involved in Libya, especially Russia and Turkey (but also the Arab Emirates and Egypt), is not yet known. But without their consent, nothing is done in Libya by now.