Differences over the draft constitution and the electoral law have raised fresh fears of resumption of fighting between the different factions in Libya. The country has faced a decade-long war following the NATO-led invasion in 2011

While Bashagha was appointed as prime minister this year in February by the Tobruk-based Libyan parliament, the Abdul Hamed Dbeibah-led government has refused to resign and hand over power

Prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has refused to step down despite the Libyan parliament electing Fathi Bashagha as his replacement

Though the UN had initially supported the Government of National Unity (GNU) led by interim prime minister Abdul Hamied Dbeibah, the special advisor on Libya to the UN secretary general, Stephanie Williams, has now refused to take sides and has called for talks

The current interim government led by prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has refused to step down and has vowed to fulfill its mandate of conducting elections and only concede power to an “elected authority”

The election of the new prime minister may widen the political rift in Libya and prove detrimental to the UN-led peace process designed to end the decade-long war in country which started with the NATO-led invasion of 2011

The eastern based-parliament announced that candidates can start submitting their applications for the role of interim prime minister. The move came just over a month after the presidential elections scheduled for December 24 were postponed

The state of elections in Libya is unclear after yet another deadline expired this week. Meanwhile, the future of the UN special mission in Libya (UNSMIL) also hangs in the balance due to differences between the US and Russia

The schedule for elections is highly uncertain with a parliamentary commission suggesting that the process be abandoned and a new constitution be framed instead. Electoral authorities had recommended that the elections be held on January 24

The Libyan election committee has proposed January 24 as the new date for the elections due to unresolved disputes regarding the electoral laws and the presence of foreign troops in the country

The Libyan election commission has failed to produce the final list of candidates for the presidential election on December 24.

As many as 99 people on the boat were rescued alive. The wooden boat was found by Doctors without Borders (MSF) around 30 nautical miles from the Libyan coast