The Presidential Council ( ar, المجلس الرئاسي, ''al Majlis al Riyasiu'') is a body formed under the terms of the Libyan Political Agreement which was signed on 17 December 2015. The Council carries out the functions of

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

and is to take command of the Libyan Armed Forces. The agreement has been unanimously endorsed by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

which welcomed the formation of the Presidency Council and recognized that the

Government of National Accord The Government of National Accord ( ar, حكومة الوفاق الوطني) was an interim government for Libya that was formed under the terms of the Libyan Political Agreement, a United Nations–led initiative, signed on 17 December 2015. ...

is the sole legitimate executive government of Libya.

History

Between 2014 and March 2021, two governments, one in Tripoli and one in Tobruk, have vied for power. The government in Tobruk was recognized by the international community prior to the formation of the Presidential Council.

Skhirat agreement

In October 2015, the UN envoy for Libya,

Bernardino León Bernardino León Gross (born in Málaga, 20 October 1964) is a Spanish diplomat and politician and former United Nations Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. Prior to this appointment by United Nations ...

, announced a proposal for the House of Representatives to share power with the rival new GNC government, under a compromise prime minister,

Fayez al-Sarraj Fayez Mustafa al-Sarraj ( ar, فائز السراج or ; born 20 February 1960) is a Libyan politician who served as the Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya and Head of Government of the Government of National Accord from 2016 to 2021 ...

. However, the terms of the final proposal were not acceptable to either side, and both rejected it. Nonetheless, the proposal did spark a revised proposal put together by Fayez al-Sarraj and others, which was subsequently supported by the United Nations. On 17 December 2015 members of the House of Representatives and the new General National Congress signed this revised political agreement, generally known as the ''"Libyan Political Agreement"'' or the ''"Skhirat Agreement"''. Under the terms of the agreement, a nine-member Presidency Council and a seventeen-member interim

would have been formed, with a view to holding new elections within two years. The House of Representatives would have continued to exist as a legislature and an advisory body, to be known as the High Council of State, would have been formed with members nominated by the New General National Congress. On 31 December 2015, Chairman of the House of Representatives,

Aguila Saleh Issa Aguila Saleh Issa ( ar, عقيلة صالح عيسى; born January 11, 1944) is a Libyan jurist and politician who is the Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives since 5 August 2014. He is also a representative of the town of Al Qubbah, in ...

declared his support for the Libyan Political Agreement. The Chairman of the Presidential,

(former member of the Tobruk parliament), and seven of the council's other members arrived in Tripoli on 30 March 2016 at the Abu Sittah naval base. The following day, it was reported that the GNA has taken control of the prime ministerial offices and that the rival

National Salvation Government The National Salvation Government ( ar, حكومة الإنقاذ الوطني) was a government body formed by politicians from the General National Congress's blocs that lost the June 2014 elections in Libya. The NSG was led by Khalifa al- ...

appointed prime minister Khalifa al-Ghawi had fled to Misrata. On April 5, the National Salvation Government announced that it was resigning, "ceasing operations," and ceding power to the Presidential Council.

Government of National Unity

On 10 March 2021, the House of Representatives met in the central city of Sirte to formally approve the formation of a

Government of National Unity A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other nati ...

led by

Mohamed al-Menfi Mohamed Yunus al-Menfi ( ar, محمد يونس المنفي; born 3 March 1976) is a Libyan diplomat and politician from Tobruk. On 5 February 2021, he was chosen as the president of the Libyan Presidential Council at the Libyan Political Di ...

as chairman of the Presidential Council and

Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh Abdul Hamid al-Dbeibeh ( ar, عبدالحميد محمد الدبيبة also spelled Dbeibah; born 13 February 1959) is a Libyan politician and businessman who is the prime minister of Libya under the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Trip ...

as Prime Minister.

Structure

The Presidential Council is led by a Chairman supported by Vice-Chairmen representative of the historical regions of Libya.Article 1.3 of the

Libyan Political Agreement The Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) ( ar, مجلس النواب, translit=Majlis al-Nuwaab, translation=Council of Deputies) is the legislature of Libya resulting from the 2014 Libyan parliamentary election, which had an 18% turnout. In ...

. 2015. Any decision taken by the Council must be approved unanimously by the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen.

Members

March 2021-present

A new Presidential Council was approved by the

House of representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

on 10 March 2021, following an agreement reached at the

Libyan Political Dialogue Forum The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) is an intra-Libyan political body involved in series of meetings started in late 2020, initially aiming to lead to Libyan elections, Libyan peace process and "democractic legitimacy of Libyan instituti ...

under

mediation:

March 2016-March 2021

Between March 2016 and March 2021, the members of the council were:

References

External links

Chairman of the Presidential Council - Official Facebook profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Politics Of Libya Government of Libya Politics of Libya Collective heads of state 2016 establishments in Libya