The United Nations Mission in Libya announced the victory of the third list, which includes Mohammed Younes Al-Menfi as President of the Presidential Council and Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh as Prime Minister, in the executive authority elections held today in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, which was broadcast live by the UN.
The third list, which won with 39 votes out of 74, includes Presidential Council President Mohammed Younes Al-Menfi, Council member Musa Al-Koni, Council member Abdullah Hussein Al-Lafi, and Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Muhammad Dbeibeh. The nominated Prime Minister will need to present his government and work program within 21 days. In contrast, the fourth list, which included Presidential Council President Aguila Saleh, Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha, Council member Osama Abdul Salam Juwaili, and Council member Abdul Majid Saif Al-Nasr, won in the first phase on Friday morning, receiving 34 votes in the second phase, with one participant abstaining from voting.
For her part, the Acting UN Envoy to Libya, Stephanie Williams, described the moment as historic. She stated in her speech announcing the candidates' victory: "I am pleased to witness this historic moment." She also added, addressing the Libyan parties: "You have come a long way and have overcome your differences for the sake of your country and the Libyan people." She remarked, "This is an official commitment that the elected executive authority must fulfill."
The UN Mission in Libya had previously published four lists of candidates for positions in the Presidential Council, which consists of three members and a Prime Minister. The mission explained that it received four lists of candidates for the three-member Presidential Council and Prime Minister positions submitted by the specified deadline, having obtained the required endorsements, in accordance with the selection mechanism adopted by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum on January 19.
The mission pointed out that the minimum required for selection is 60 percent of valid votes, noting that if no list reaches this threshold, a second round of voting will take place on the two lists that received the most votes in the first round. The minimum for the second round is 50 percent plus one of the votes. All candidates for the transitional executive authority in Libya failed to obtain the required 70 percent of the votes during the first phase, leading to a second round of voting by lists in Geneva.
The first phase of the second round, which took place on Friday morning, resulted in the victory of the fourth list, which includes Aguila Saleh and Fathi Bashagha, with 25 votes. In the first phase of the round, the third list came in second place with 20 votes. It is noteworthy that 75 participants in the dialogue, gathered since Monday at a location in the outskirts of Geneva undisclosed by the UN, began voting at 10 AM GMT today to select these figures. According to the UN, the future transitional council will be tasked with "reuniting state institutions and ensuring security" until the elections scheduled for December.
