Top Council Deepens Libya’s Divisions Over Its Political Future

(Bloomberg) -- A top Libyan advisory body on Thursday rejected changes to the nation's charter that had been approved by parliament, in a move likely to add further discord in an OPEC nation struggling to find political stability.

The decision by the High Council of State to dismiss amendments on the timing of elections and structure of the election authority, among others, isn't binding. The council was set up to advise the government and parliament. 

But the move, reported by Libyan media, comes with the North African nation already facing a political fork in the road after the legislature elected a new prime minister and the incumbent vowed only to cede power only after elections. 

Libya's Dbeibah Vows to Present Vote Plan After Rival PM Emerges

Lawmakers had picked Fathi Bashagha, a former interior minister, as premier, arguing that current Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah's tenure had expired after the country failed to hold presidential elections in December, as planned.

Dbeibah has rejected that argument and the decision by the advisory council could provide him with additional justification to argue that he should remain in his post.

The standoff has the potential to stoke unrest and spark violence in a nation that's seen little else over the past decade. Such a development could, again, hit the vital oil sector. 

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