Tunis – Libyan political factions took a small step towards resolving the country’s long-running crisis, emerging from two days of intensive, closed-door talks to announce an agreement on the outlines of a Libyan-led plan to rekindle the stalled political process.
The plan centers on the formation of a new unity government tasked with overseeing national elections under recently passed electoral laws crafted by the joint 6+6 committee, according to a statement published by the House of Representatives.
Details were scant on the unity government and its as-yet unnamed prime minister. The statement cited an agreement that the new premier would be chosen “through a transparent and impartial mechanism based on the roadmap presented by the 6+6 Committee by consensus between the two councils and sponsorship of the U.N. mission.”
There was no immediate comment from the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on the announcement.
About 120 participants gathered for two days of intensive talks in neighboring Tunisia, including members of Libya’s rival House of Representatives and High State Council. Officials released a group photograph but no list of attendees’ names.
In their joint statement, participants committed to empowering local governance and channeling public funds directly to municipal authorities. They also announced unspecified binding legislation and oversight mechanisms meant to combat corruption and patronage.