Presidential Council sets out plan to end crisis

Libya’s Presidential Council on Tuesday announced a plan to extract the country from its latest political crisis and hold elections.

“In response to the legitimate demands of the Libyan people and their desire for change, the Presidential Council… agreed on a general framework for a working plan to resolve the country’s political deadlock,” it said in a statement.

The council did not provide details, but said the plan would “preserve Libya’s national unity, end the specter of war (and) put an end to foreign intervention.”

Abdallah al-Lafi, the deputy head of the three-member council, was charged with holding “urgent consultations with political actors to reach an agreement on the details then lay out a clear roadmap to end the transitional phase via elections.”

Since Friday, several Libyan cities have seen angry protests over long power cuts, soaring inflation and endless queues at gas stations.

The Presidential Council has also been singled out and accused of not doing enough to break the deadlock.