Libyan PM welcomes election consensus

By Gulsen Topcu

TRIPOLI (AA) – Libya’s prime minister said Tuesday he is glad the country’s warring sides have agreed to hold elections in December 2021.

Fayez al-Sarraj said in a statement that he welcomed setting the date for elections on Dec. 24, 2021 and the country’s electoral commission would allocate funds for carrying them out.

The agreement was reached during UN-sponsored talks in Tunisia between representatives of the internationally recognized Libyan government and warlord Khalifa Haftar.

The participants agreed to establish a new Presidential Council and executive body to manage the transition period and hold national elections, according to Stephanie Turco Williams, the deputy head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

Libya has been torn by a civil war since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The country’s new government was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement, but efforts for a long-term political settlement failed due to a military offensive by Haftar's forces.

With Turkey’s help, the UN-recognized Government of National Accord, headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, has made significant gains against Haftar’s forces in recent months.