Domestic Politics

The Prime Minister and members of the Kuwait cabinet were sworn in this morning at the beginning of the regular session of the National Assembly. The opposition has not succeeded in disrupting the procedures in today’s session.

President Kais Saied said he is willing to oversee a national dialogue, with an active youth participation, to address a wide range of economic and political issues.  The initiative for the dialogue was brought forward by the influential Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT). It has also been something that has been discussed and advocated by activists and civil society members.

The eastern-based government of Libya officially recognised the new Government of National Unity (GNU). A delegation of the GNU, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Hussein Al-Gatrani, arrived in Benghazi, and received the office location from the now-former eastern government. The handover processes will occur on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Armenia appears heading for snap parliamentary elections on 20 June, but hopes that the poll may resolve the current gridlock in the Armenian political arena may be premature. Benyamin Poghosyan argues in this op-ed that for Armenia things may get worse before they get better.

The EU facilitated talks between Georgian political parties were paused on Friday after a 10 hour meeting mediated by Christian Danielsson, the special envoy of the president of the European Council, ended in the early hours of the morning without agreement.

Leaders of the Somalia federal government will meet this Sunday (21 March) with the leaders of the federal member states to discuss the dispute in the electoral process, according to Garowe Online. Heads of federal states are already engaging in meetings with foreign ambassadors in Mogadishu.

Boris Johnson, the prime minister of the United Kingdom, has today (16 March) published an Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy outlining the UK’s post-Brexit direction of travel.

Libya’s first unity government in seven years was sworn in before the parliament in Tobruk on Monday – a step that received positive appraisal from regional and international parties alike. More than 100 parliamentarians and several Arab and foreign ambassadors attended the ceremony. Earlier on the same day, Dbeibah and his cabinet took the oath of office before the High Court in the capital Tripoli before heading to Tobruk. The government will officially start its duties as of today.