Libya lawmakers discuss confirmation of new government

Libyan lawmakers began consultations Monday aimed at confirming a newly appointed government which would lead the war-wrecked country through elections by the end of the year.

The United Nations called the session "historic."

More than 130 members of the House of Representatives met in the coastal city of Sirte after Prime Minister-designate Abdul Hamid Dbeibah last week presented his proposed Cabinet to Speaker Aguila Saleh.

Dbeibah, a powerful businessman from the western city of Misrata, was appointed last month to lead the executive branch of an interim government that also includes a three-member Presidential Council chaired by Mohammad Younes Menfi, a Libyan diplomat from the country's east.

Dbeibah's proposed Cabinet includes 33 ministers and two deputy prime ministers who he said are representative of Libya's different geographic areas and social segments.

Dbeibah said if parliament fails to confirm his Cabinet, it would hamper the political roadmap and prolong Libya's years-long crisis.

Later on Monday, lawmakers finished their deliberations for the day and were secluded until convening again Tuesday morning when Dabaiba is set to address the parliament.

The parliament has until March 24 to confirm the newly appointed government, which would replace two rival administrations, one in the east and one in the west, with each backed by an array of militias and foreign governments.

The interim government has been facing allegations of corruption at meetings of a UN-picked 75-member political dialogue forum.

Dbeibah earlier this month refuted the allegations and called for the UN to reveal the conclusions of its investigations.

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The House of Representatives met in Sirte, once a stronghold for the Islamic State group, has been controlled by forces of military commander Khalifa Hafter since they seized it from the UN-supported government last year during Hafter's failed campaign to take control of the capital, Tripoli.

Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 uprising that ousted and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

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