Growing momentum for a new unified government in Libya

Despite its controversial nature, the second meeting in Cairo between members of the House of Representatives (HoR) and the High Council of State (HCS) has made waves in Libya’s political scene as a growing number of influential stakeholders have expressed their support for the meeting’s efforts to bring about a new unified government. Misrata is gathering various currents to push forward the idea of unifying the executive authority and advancing the political process.

A closer look

On 20 July, two days after the holding of the HoR-HCS meeting in Cairo, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) issued a statement welcoming “all steps in support of a Libyan consensus that facilitates a Libyan-led and owned political process towards national elections,” adding that “any such steps should be inclusive with a clear path to elections.”

The preliminary roadmap to implementing electoral laws that was published after the Cairo meeting did in fact bring positive additions to the intra-Libyan political process as explained in our recent reporting, and outlined some procedures and mechanisms to guarantee government transition. Moreover, the UNSMIL encouraged participants of the Cairo meeting “to build on what has been agreed upon by seeking an approach that includes other relevant Libyan stakeholders to ensure the outcomes lead to a politically implementable solution.”

While key stakeholders like the Presidential Council (PC) and the HCS’ Chairman Mohamed Takala have not yet rallied their support to the preliminary roadmap, there has been some sort of awakening in the Libyan political scene with various social groups and political factions expressing support. In fact, many tribes and towns did welcome the Cairo meeting while Saif al-Islam al-Gaddafi, around whom most supporters of the former regime gather, also expressed approval via his political team.

Candidates wishing to be part of a new unified government started mobilising and promising to officially announce their candidacy as soon as the final rules and regulations regarding the appointment process are released. As a reminder, the preliminary roadmap says that if 60 or more HCS members object to a candidate, the latter will not be allowed to take part in the HoR vote to appoint the new Prime Minister.

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