Libya’s Internationally-Recognized Parliament Votes to Reject the UN-Backed Unity Government (January 25, 2016) [1]
On January 25, 2016, the internationally-recognized parliament of Libya voted to reject the unity government proposed by the UN to resolve the political and armed conflict in the country. According to a news report [3], Libya has two competing governments consisting of “the internationally-recognized authorities and parliament in Tobruk and the rebel-backed authority holding power in Tripoli.” The unity government was part of the Libyan Political Agreement signed in July and designed to create a bridge between the two rival factions. As another news article [4] describes, critics of the unity government stated that it was not a fair representation of the current political situation in Libya because it is biased towards “the demands of militia leaders,” does not address the current challenges facing the country, and creates too many posts in light of the country’s economic situation.