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Tripoli, 1 October:
Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abushagur has failed, for the second time, to meet a self-imposed deadline to form a new government.
On 19 September, Abushagur announced that he would finalise his proposed government for submission to the National Congress by the end of the month.
Having subsequently requested an extension, the Prime Minister-elect was given until 7 October by the Congress or face being dismissed from his post.
Two days ago, a senior member of Abushagur’s staff stated that 1 October would be the latest that a government would be formed, although this deadline too has now been missed.
The latest delay appears to be down to deadlocked negotiations with National Forces Alliance leader Mahmoud Jibril.
Yesterday, the Libya Herald reported that the Abushagur team had failed to convince the NFA leader to throw his weight behind the new government, with divisions over a series of policy areas including reconciliation with former regime loyalists and the disbanding of militias.
Today, a press statement from Abushagur’s office reveals that a planned meeting with Jibril to resolve the impasse had not taken place.
“Whilst we confirm our desire and committment to include all the political sepectrum of the GNC in the formation of the next government, we regret the fact that a meeting with the leader of the NFA Mahmoud Jibril did not take place as was planned”, the statement read.
It is not known which side was responsible for the cancellation, or what the reasons behind it were.
However, it has also been claimed that several NFA members have decided to split with Jibril and to put forward candidates for the next government independently.
It is now unclear when the new government will be proposed, although it is believed that the 7 October deadline remains realistic.
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