By Abdullah Alkabir, a Libyan political writer and commentator

Despite tragedies and destruction left behind by wars, there is a positive side to them, which does not appear clearly to anyone who is not looking thoroughly with a scrutinizing eye to monitor their repercussions and changes. The end of any war is usually the end of a phase and the beginning of another new one. From the pools of blood and tears, and a midst wailing and groaning, a new reality emerges, different from the preceded one.

Throughout history, wars have been the most important engines of human progress; politically, intellectually, economically and scientifically. Many manifestations of scientific progress were the key outcome of wars. This is a long story that will not be addressed in this article. Rather, the purpose is to monitor the accelerated developments that followed the war of Saturday, August 27, in several areas in and around Tripoli, which speeded up the political moves to find a way towards a political solution that puts an end to the crisis of legitimacy, and limits the resorting to the force of guns. The most important developments after the settling down of the battles’ dust were as follows:

Arrest warrants and travel bans were issued by the Military Prosecutor, against prominent figures of the political scene from the February leadership. Their fame and contribution to Revolution and subsequent wars against ISIS and Haftar did not stand in the way of enforcing the law.

The rush of members of the High Council of State (HCS), some of whom are aligned with the House of Representatives (HoR), and the Bashagha government deal, to issue a statement calling for parliamentary elections, and no doubt their fear of people’s wrath, as they are accomplices in all calamities that befell the country, is what prompted them to issue such statement.
Regional and international moves sensed that the continued abortion of the elections means that the armed conflict will continue.

Al-Mashri and Aqila rushed to meet to discuss the constitutional basis and election laws, or in other words, contain the repercussions of the war, and cooperate to maintain their dominance of the political scene.
Turkish diplomatic moves seek to calm the situation in its areas of influence, while its opponents' (that is Russia and Egypt) areas of influence are calmer.
An American move to push for the nomination of the new UN envoy, after an eight-month failure since the resignation of former envoy Jan Kubis.
Many personalities and municipal councils repudiated the government mandated by Parliament, and declared their support for the Government of National Unity, which strengthened its position and became more powerful.

Eliminating the undisciplined militias in Tripoli, and then reduce their number, and concentrate the force in only about six factions.

The important question here. Are there civil leaders and organizations that can seize this opportunity, and mobilize the street to exert more pressure through peaceful movement, with a firm and non-negotiable position, which is commitment to holding parliamentary elections, and rejecting any extension of the current entities?

The international position in support of elections, the limited  maneuvering space before the parties wishing to prolong the transitional phase, and the insistence of the Government of National Unity not to hand over except to an elected authority, provide an appropriate opportunity to continue pressing for termination of the HoR and the HCS, and reject the proposal to form a third government under the pretext of conducting elections, because it would only be another attempt to prolong the same failed entities and gloomy faces of the political scene.

 

Disclaimer:  The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Libya Observer

Read Also: