Libya's parliament said Friday's planned presidential election would not go ahead, leaving the internationally-backed peace process in chaos and the fate of the interim government in doubt, Reuters reports. Disputes over the path forward could also undo the wider UN-backed peace process between Libya's main eastern and western camps that have maintained a ceasefire since last year. Meanwhile, the status of the interim government that was installed in March as part of the same peace process is also at risk, with the eastern-based parliament having withdrawn confidence from it in September. The election was originally called through a UN-backed roadmap that envisaged simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections on 24 December – Libya's national day. However, there was no agreement on the constitutional basis for the election or on the rules among the country's fragmented political institutions.

Source: Libya Today December 22, 2021 16:24 UTC