Faize Serraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) continues to face strong resistance from the Tobruk-based House of Representatives (HoR). On 16 May, HoR president Aguila Saleh reiterated his call for Serraj’s Presidency Council (PC) to travel to Tobruk and seek endorsement from the HoR. Saleh added that the 2011 Constitutional Declaration should be amended to accommodate the provisions of the December 2015 Libya Political Agreement (LPA). Furthermore, Saleh insisted that the LPA itself should be amended to stipulate that the HoR had the exclusive prerogative to appoint heads of sovereign institutions such as the Libyan Central Bank.

In the chronology of events, Saleh’s near-impossible demands are, in the eyes of the PC, a reaction to Serraj’s declaration over the weekend that he has activated the GNA, without waiting for HoR endorsement. The move apparently came after the failure of talks that were initiated by Aguila Saleh’s first and second deputies, Mohamed Chouaib and Saleh Hama. Although the details of the meeting with Serraj in Tripoli were not made public, we gather that the HoR delegation proposed that Serraj enlarge the GNA with an additional seven ministers from the south, for the GNA to be voted in by the HoR. Serraj’s decision to activate his 18-member cabinet (13 ministers and five secretaries) seems to be his way of refusing the offer, apparently bolstered by the international support he obtained in Vienna on Monday 16 May.

Militarily, Serraj has established the Presidential Guard which will be made up of elements of police, the army and some militia. It will be charged with protecting the PC, GNA personnel and buildings, key institutions, ports, and other strategic infrastructure. This move was decoded by Cairo as an attempt by Serraj to sideline Khalifa Haftar, the self-proclaimed commander of the Libyan army. An Egyptian diplomat reportedly told Alaraby daily that Cairo is disquieted by this development, and that Abdelfettah Sisi has been seeking support for Haftar in Moscow. Serraj’s attempt to establish his Presidential Guard is decoded by observers as an effort to secure a loyal force for the PC, and one that is neither linked to Haftar nor to the militia groups.

Serraj has also established a Special Operations Military Command to fight so-called Islamic State groups in Sirte, but as a soon as the decision was officiated three commanders declined the appointment, including Colonel Salem Mohamed Jehaa.

The constitution drafting process is facing setbacks as well. A court in Beida annulled the Constitution Drafting Assembly’s (CDA) decision to change the necessary quorum to adopt decisions, thereby affirming the Constitutional Declaration’s stated quorum of two-thirds plus 1, including the cultural constituents (Amazigh, Tebou, and Tuareg) agreement to the vote. The Citizenship Momentum (Hirak al-Mouwatana), a grass-roots initiative in the east, has hailed the court’s decision, while around 15 local municipal councils have rejected the CDA’s constitution draft, according to the NGO.

Links for more information:
https://www.libyaherald.com/2016/05/16/ageela-saleh-calls-for-hor-to-decide-on-gna-threatens
http://www.marsad.ly/en/2016/05/08/hor-deputy-presidents-delegation-visit-presidency

Presidential Guard established


http://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/5/12/egypts-sisi-moves-to-bolster-support-for-libyan

Egypt’s Sisi moves to bolster support for Libyan militia-leader


http://www.marsad.ly/en/2016/05/08/hor-deputy-presidents-delegation-visit-presidency-council
https://unsmil.unmissions.org/Default.aspx

Posted by lakhdarghettas

Dr. Lakhdar Ghettas Author of Algeria and the Cold War: International Relations and the Struggle for Autonomy (London & NY: IB Tauris, 2018)