Provisional government overview | |
---|---|
Formed | 17 December 2015 |
Dissolved | 10 March 2021 |
Superseding Provisional government |
|
Jurisdiction | Libya |
Headquarters | Tripoli |
Government of National Accord (GNA) | |
---|---|
Dates of operation | 2015–2021 |
Headquarters | Tripoli, Libya |
Allies | Turkey Qatar Syrian National Army Italy[1] Malta[2] United Nations United States[3][4] Pakistan Palestine [5] Algeria[citation needed] Morocco[citation needed] Iran[6] |
Opponents | Libyan National Army Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia Egypt[7] Greece Chad[7] |
Battles and wars | Second Libyan Civil War |
The Government of National Accord (GNA; Arabic: حكومة الوفاق الوطني) was an interim government for Libya that was formed under the terms of the Libyan Political Agreement, a United Nations–led initiative, signed on 17 December 2015.[10] The agreement was unanimously endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, which welcomed the formation of a Presidency Council for Libya and recognized the Government of National Accord as the sole legitimate executive authority in Libya.[11] On 31 December 2015, Chairman of the Libyan House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh Issa declared his support for the Libyan Political Agreement.[12] The General National Congress has criticized the GNA on multiple fronts as biased in favor of its rival parliament the House of Representatives.[13]
As of 2016[update], the Government of National Accord had 17 ministers and was led by the Prime Minister. The first meeting of the cabinet of the GNA took place on 2 January 2016 in Tunis.[14] A full cabinet consisting of 18 ministers was announced in January 2016.[15]
The Prime Minister of GNA, Fayez al-Sarraj, and six other members of the Presidential Council and proposed cabinet arrived in Tripoli on 30 March 2016.[16] The following day, it was reported that GNA has taken control of the prime ministerial offices.[17]
After March 2016, conflict between the two rival parliaments, the Libyan House of Representatives and the General National Congress (GNC), intensified.[18] Despite previously supporting it, the Libyan House of Representatives withdrew its recognition of GNA by voting against it in the summer of 2016 and becoming their rival for governing the country.[19] Despite being backed by only parts of the GNC and without formal approval from the Libyan House of Representatives, who called for new elections to be held by February 2018,[20] the GNA is recognized, as of September 2020[update], by the United Nations as Libya's legitimate government.[21]
From 2015 to 2016, GNA struggled to assert its authority and was largely unsuccessful in unifying Libya. The Government of National Accord's ultimate viability was uncertain given that the country remained greatly divided across political, tribal and ideological lines.[22]
The mandate and legality of the Government of National Accord expired in 2017 according to the Libyan Political Agreement, Parliament and the United Nations which endorsed it.[23]
On 10 March 2021, the House of Representatives formally approved the formation of a Government of National Unity led by Mohamed al-Menfi as chairman of the Presidential Council and Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh as Prime Minister with the aim of unifying the Government of National Accord with the rival Tobruk-based Government.[24]