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Tripoli, 12 October:
The former independent congressman Ali Zidan has emerged as the most likely candidate to be elected Libya’s next prime minister in a vote to be held on Sunday.
Zidan, who resigned his seat in order to run, is one of four candidates to have been chosen by a congressional committee set up to expedite the process of replacing Mustafa Abushagur, who was dismissed as prime minister-elect by a vote of Congress on 7 October.
The committee, which includes representatives from the National Forces Alliance, the Justice & Construction Party and three independent blocs in Congress, initially considered a list of some ten names.
The other three names to have been chosen are former deputy UN ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi; Local Government Minister Mohamed Al-Harari; and Abdulhamid Al-Nami, a professor of politics at Tripoli University.
“The man with the best chance is Ali Zidan”, said Ahmed Langhi, an independent congressman from Benghazi.
“I support him; many independents support him; the Justice & Construction party support him and Mahmoud Jibril supports him. We see him as the man who can do something for the country at this time”.
Asked by the Libya Herald how he rated his chances on Sunday, Zidan himself was upbeat: “I believe I have the support of a majority within Congress”, he said, without wishing to give further details.
His selection as prime minister is not yet a foregone conclusion, however.
According to Amna Emtair, J&C congresswoman for Sirte, and wife of former NTC spokesman Mohammed Harizi, her party have not yet reached a decision on who to support.
“This evening, our party will meet to decide who to support”, she said. “Personally, I will not be supporting Zidan.”
It was the Justice & Construction party and its supporters who cost Zidan victory in the race to become Congress President on 9 August. Having led after the first round of voting, the NFA-supported Zidan was beaten to the post when the Islamists swung en masse behind Mohamed Magarief in the second and final round.
A strong challenger to Zidan is expected in the person of Ibrahim Dabbashi. The former diplomat is reckoned to enjoy the support of Union for Homeland leader Abdulrahman Sewehli, who has established a significant following amongst independent members of Congress.
Less likely to succeed are Abdulhami Al-Nami and Mohamed Al-Harari. Al-Nami also stood to be prime minister in the previous election, but was eliminated in the first round having garnered just three votes.
Al-Harari currently serves as the minister for local government and has received mixed reviews during his time in office. Last night there were unconfirmed reports that members of the Muslim Brotherhood had privately agreed to support Zidan on the understanding that Harari be offered a senior post in his government.
Asked to confirm or deny the claim, Zidan declined to comment.
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