Libya’s new government is to be announced by Monday “at the latest,” an official of the ruling National Transitional Council said on Saturday. Fathi Baja, in charge of political affairs for the NTC, said the list being drawn up by interim premier Abdel Rahim al-Kib was “more or less ready.” It would be submitted to the NTC for approval “tomorrow (Sunday), inshallah (God willing),” or “on Monday at the latest” if adjustments were necessary, he told AFP. Baja said the prime minister was playing his cards close to his chest and had been working “in secret” on the cabinet list.
The NTC, whose rebel fighters backed by NATO air support toppled longtime ruler Moamer Gaddafi in October, chose Kib, a university professor from Tripoli, on October 31 to form an interim government. Having declared the country’s “liberation” three days after the October 20 capture and killing of Gaddafi, the NTC has launched a roadmap to a new Libya with a 20-month countdown to a general election. Kib has said the new government will be formed of technocrats, but he has come under pressure from Libya’s tribes and numerous armed factions which are demanding a role.
