Domestic Politics

Libya finally has a unified government after a decade of chaos, war and political divisions. On Wednesday (10 March) the Libyan Parliament - the House of Representatives (HoR) - finally approved the proposed cabinet by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. 

Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has issued an open invitation to prime minister Nikol Pashinyan and the leaders of the opposition to a meet amid a continuing political crisis and an impasse on the command of the armed forces. Pashinyan had a meeting with the army leadership this afternoon

Demonstrations escalated this week in Lebanon with hundreds of demonstrators blocking major roads in Beirut. The demonstrators condemned the ongoing economic crisis and record-low currency exchange rates. 

The Chief of Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, Colonel General Onik Gasparyan, has been formally dismissed from his post, the office of Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday morning (10 March). The dismissal of Gasparyan has been at the centre of political and constitutional controversy for two weeks.

Libya’s Parliament, The House of Representatives (HoR), failed on Monday to reach an agreement to approve the newly selected unity government. The meeting was suspended until today and the chamber summoned Prime Minister-elect Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah for consultations. 

In Tunisia, the standoff between the various political forces, and the country's institutions shows no signs of abating. The fragile democracy that emerged after the 2011 "Arab Spring" protests appears increasingly under threat.

The political process in Libya risks being thrown into turmoil amid reports of bribery during the selection of an interim prime minister in a UN-sponsored process.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, mediated talks over the political crisis in Georgia yesterday evening. The meeting between the governing party and the country’s opposition parties was called after Michel held separate meetings with each earlier in the day.

According to an opinion poll published on Monday (1 March) 55% of Russians have a positive attitude towards EU states, and nearly half (48%) wish for partner relations with the EU. The poll, conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center was held on February 24 among 1,600 respondents.