Libyan premier proposes holding parliamentary elections at end of 2022

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh on Wednesday suggested holding parliamentary elections at the end of 2022 and to start preparations for polls in June.

“After the parliamentary elections are held and the new government is formed, I will not stay in office even for a minute,” said Dbeibeh in a speech on social media.

Dbeibeh noted that he spoke to officials of the Supreme Election Commission about the elections and that if the commission does not stand by the people, they should look for alternative solutions.

Saying he expected reactions from different circles against him and his government after the announcement of the election calendar, Dbeibeh said “the United Nations and Stephanie Williams should hear the voice of the people,” referring to the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Libya.

“No solution will be found without the wishes of the Libyans,” he added.

For more than two months, there have been two governments in Libya: the national unity government led by Dbeibeh and the one granted confidence in early March by the Tobruk-based House of Representatives.

Dbeibeh has previously said that he would only cede authority to a government that comes through an “elected parliament,” raising fears that the oil-rich country could slip back into a civil war.