Libyan Parliament prepares to debate general budget

CAIRO - 22 March 2020: In the upcoming days, the Libyan Parliament will discuss the draft approval of the unified general budget of the state, to facilitate the tasks of the current government and support it in implementing the projects scheduled for this year.

Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dabaiba proposed a budget of 96.2 billion dinars ($21.5 billion), divided into salaries and wages, to which an amount of 33.5 billion dinars would be allocated; administrative expenditures, to which 12.4 billion dinars will be allocated; and development, with an allocation of 23 billion dinars. Also, 22 billion dinars will be directed to support expenditures, and 5 billion dinars will be directed to emergencies.

To finance this budget, the current authority relies mainly on oil revenues, which have improved since the removal of force majeure from the oil fields and the resumption of production and exports from October 2020, until March 10, 2020, which amounted to 7.767 billion dollars, according to the National Oil Corporation.

Libyan parliament member Jibril Wahida told Al-Arabiya.net that the budget discussion sessions will start next week, adding no place has been decided yet, but they will likely be in the capital, Tripoli, headed by Aguila Saleh.

Regarding the proposed budget, Wahida considered that it was prepared in a vague and ill-considered manner because it was not based on clear data and criteria.

He added that a budget of this size for a government, whose work period does not exceed 10 months and is linked to a specific work program according to the roadmap, is exaggerated in the sense that matters are following the approach of the government that preceded it that spent nearly 340 billion dinars, which were looted, according to local and international reports, and this is unacceptable.

He emphasized that the budget law in this way should not be passed.

The House of Representatives said earlier that the Finance Committee discussed the budget that was referred by the National Unity Government for studying and making observations to be presented to the House of Representatives after the completion of its review by the Finance Committee.

It is noteworthy that the Libyan parties agreed in February 2021 on a unified budget, for the first time since 2014, following the political and institutional division in the country.

Libya has been in chaos ever since the 2011 overthrow and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed uprising, with warring rival administrations battling for power. Since the downfall of Kadhafi, Libya also has become a key route for irregular migration from Africa into Europe, across the Mediterranean Sea.