The President of the Presidential Council, Mohamed Menfi, received on Wednesday evening the Prime Minister of the interim Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. The two parties discussed ways to break the political deadlock and control public spending, according to a statement by the Presidential Council’s media office.
The media office said that the Menfi-Dbeibah meeting “addressed solutions for the political process stalemate, and explored joint ideas to ensure the Libyan people’s right to determine their destiny directly.” The meeting also “touched on texts of the political agreement regarding controlling public spending and state revenues, through financial arrangements prepared by the joint financial committee,” the statement added.
Total public financial revenues for 2023 are estimated at 126 billion 370 million 663 thousand and 813 Libyan dinars. The lion’s share of that amount comes from oil, which is projected to reach 121 billion 692 million 316 thousand and 581 dinars, according to data published on January 14 by the Ministry of Finance of Dbeibah’s interim Government.
The political process has reached a deadlock, preventing the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections that were scheduled for December 24, 2021. This led to a renewed governmental divide after the House of Representatives appointed a new government led by Osama Hammad, following Dbeibah’s refusal to cede power before elections are held.