The UN announced the list of candidates for a presidential council and the head of a government in Libya, with the hope of ending a long transitional period by the end of this year.
A committee was formed by the UN-backed Libyan Political Dialogue Forum to shortlist 24 candidates for the Presidency Council and 21 names for prime minister.
On January 3, Stephanie Williams, UN interim envoy to Libya, announced the establishment of a consultative council of the forum to draft a selection process.
It met online and in-person in November in Tunis under the auspices of the UN Support Mission in Libya.
Oil-rich Libya has been torn apart by civil war since a Nato-backed uprising removed dictator Muammar Qaddafi from power in 2011.
The talks brought together 75 Libyan women and men representing the social and political spectrum of Libyan society.
They agreed on a roadmap to hold “credible, inclusive and democratic national elections” on December 24, to coincide with the day Libya declared independence in 1951.
The participants agreed to reform the executive authority and outlined the structure and prerogatives for the Presidency Council and a separate head of government.
They also decided on eligibility criteria for these posts.
Chief among the candidates for the Presidency Council is Aguila Saleh, President of the House of Representatives in the eastern city of Tobruk.
They also include Khalid Al Mishri, head of the High Council of State, the highest consultative body in the country formed in 2015 by the UN-sponsored Skhirat agreement.
The eastern administration is rivalled by the Government of National Accord, which has failed to gain broad support, in Tripoli.
Tobruk backs the Libyan National Army and its leader, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
The UN mission was established in 2011 by the Security Council to unite all factions behind a single government.
