TRIPOLI – At the end of an often-rancorous day's debating, the National Congress Monday moved toward consensus on how to select Libya's next prime minister. An early motion from Benghazi independent Suleiman Zubi proposing that the next prime minister be chosen from inside the Congress was met with heated exchanges that led, at one point, to Misrata's Uniona for Homeland chief Abdulrahman Sewehli walking out of the chamber in protest. The motion was subsequently struck down in comprehensive fashion, with just 18 members voting in favor and 123 against. Where agreement was reached, however, was on the need for a swift resolution on how to choose the next prime minister and the need, if possible, for a consensus candidate. What emerged was a proposal that should see three names agreed upon as candidates for the top job as early as Wednesday. It is understood that the big names from the last prime minister's election, including the NFA's Mahmoud Jibril and current Electricity Minister Awad Barasi for the J&C, will not be nominated, consistent with Congress's desire to choose a compromise candidate who will, to the greatest possible extent, not be aligned to any one group in Congress. As with the previous election, the winning candidate will need half plus one of the votes in Congress to be selected. – Libya Herald
