The decision by Parliament to choose a new prime minister has exacerbated differences between different groups, and concerns of further conflict have grown.
On Sunday, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya called on both the temporary prime minister and his parliament-designated successor to ensure stability, and he urged for elections to be conducted as soon as feasible.
Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the prime minister of the UN-recognized Administration of National Unity (GNU), has said that he would only relinquish power after an election, and he has rejected the decision by parliament last Thursday to choose former interior minister Fathi Bashagha to lead a new government.
Libya was scheduled to conduct presidential and parliamentary elections in December, but disagreements between groups and state entities over the manner in which the polls should be held resulted in the process collapsing only days before the elections.
On Sunday, UN advisor Stephanie Williams attended separate talks with Dbeibah and Bashagha, as well as with other members of the delegation.
The necessity of all players and institutions working within the political framework, as well as the need of maintaining calm on the ground, in the sake of Libya's unity and stability, she said in a statement on Twitter.
"The United Nations remains dedicated to boosting the voices of the 2.8 million Libyans who have registered to vote," she said.
Williams went on to say that during her conversation with Bashagha, she stressed "the need of moving ahead in an inclusive, transparent, and consensual way, as well as the importance of maintaining stability in Tripoli and across the nation."
She said that the emphasis must remain on the staging of "free, fair, and inclusive national elections in the shortest amount of time feasible."
According to the GNU's Facebook page, Dbeibah stressed the need of completing the plan that was agreed in Geneva during his meeting with Williams.
The creation of "the right circumstances for having national elections and for holding a referendum on the constitution throughout this year" is the responsibility of all political parties, according to Dbeibah.
As part of their conversation, Bashagha claimed, Williams expressed interest in attempts to create the new government "in an open and equitable way."
He also expressed "his keenness on the stability of the security situation as well as his commitment to the constitutional frameworks and timetables established for the conduct of the elections."
Armed strife has plagued Libya since a NATO-backed rebellion against longstanding dictator Muammar Gaddafi began in 2011. For years, the country has been torn apart by competing administrations in the east and west, each backed by an array of fighting groups and foreign powers.
The decision by Parliament to choose Bashagha has exacerbated differences between different factions, and worries of fresh bloodshed among the armed forces supporting them have become more intense.
Dbeibah escaped an apparent murder attempt last week in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, when his car was peppered with small-arms fire.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
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