By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 4 February 2014:
Speaking at Monday’s press conference, the Prime Minister said that he was not in favour of . . .[restrict]forming a so-called “crisis government”.
Asked by the media if he intended to do so, Ali Zeidan said that he was not going to form a one “just to satisfy the demands of the street”. He further added that “some people do not even know what a crisis government is”.
It will be recalled that Zeidan is reported to be on the verge of either reshuffling his present cabinet, or appointing brand new ministers or carrying out both new appointments and a reshuffle at the same time.
The Prime Minister ventured that when one talks about a crisis government, one is talking about a government that has a vision and plans.
He said that a crisis government would involve the merging of some ministries and departments and the suppressing of others, but his government was an interim one and Libya’s state and institutions were already weak and need strengthening (implying that a crisis government would only weaken the state and government further).
The government’s life was limited, it could end any time and the way ahead was not clear, he explained. Therefore, without having an idea of the length of the government’s life it was not possible to create a plan and vision, he declared.
Zeidan said that his government had reached its natural end and that it had at its beginning put forward a 14-month plan and vision, ending in February, which it has now completed. If his government was to be allowed to carry on longer, it would then need a new vision or plan, he added.
Either way, he explained that he did not foresee his government continuing longer than 24 December (2014), which was seen the maximum life of the GNC last week, or the end of July (according to the proposed GNC roadmap at the time of his press conference). [/restrict]