Loyalists of eastern commander Haftar mandate him as Libya President

BY Libyan Express Dec 12, 2017 - 22:33 Updated: Dec 12, 2017 - 22:37

A poster in the famous Al-Shajara Square in Benghazi for Khalifa Haftar saying “Benghazi movement of mandating Khalifa Haftar.” (Photo: Social Media)

Hundreds of men and women as well as children were seen in different parts of eastern Libya, mainly Benghazi, holding slogans and posters in their hands that read “Khalifa Haftar is Libya’s President After December 17.”

Haftar is the commander of Operation Dignity and the self-proclaimed Libyan army in eastern Libya. He is allied with the Tobruk-based House of Representatives, with assistance coming from Egypt, UAE and Saudi Arabia, not to mention the French, Russian and US support.

Several loyalists to Haftar issued statements in Benghazi and other cities in eastern Libya vowing to mandate him as the President of Libya once the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) ends on December 17.

The LPA was signed in Skhirat, Morocco in 2015 on December 17, and Haftar and his loyalists vowed to take the country by military action if the political bodies of the LPA failed to solve the crisis by then.

Posters were seen on social media with the face of Haftar on them and the words “Haftar is Libya’s Military Leader and President” written on them.

This comes as Haftar visited Cairo two days ago and Rome a day ago, meeting top officials in both cities.

Likewise, the escalation also comes as the UN delegate to Libya Ghassan Salame and the High National Elections Commission announced last week the launch of voters registration for the 2018 presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya.

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