Political
The pan-Arab daily Al Sharq Al Awsat reported that Prime Minister Ali Zidan has instructed the Ministries of Defence and Interior to stop paying salaries to employees who have not shown up for work. According to the report he has also pledged to begin an intense process of recruiting for the National Army and security apparatuses. Al Sharq Al Awsat also reported that Zidan has surprisingly asked for his swearing-in ceremony to be postponed. According to the report, the request comes amidst rumours that a number of his cabinet ministers have resigned. Representatives in the National Assembly have already objected to a number of proposed ministers, even before an integrity committee has issued its decision. Separately, Al Jazeera described Zidan decision to refuse to give in to militia demands to reconsider a number of proposed cabinet members as a positive sign. Zidan has stated that he will first wait for the integrity committee to make its recommendations before making any changes.
WAL wrote that on 11 November the National Congress began its first discussions on forming a body to write the new constitution.
The Libya Herald reported that Libya joined with West African leaders on 11 November to agree on the deployment of a 3,300-strong military force to northern Mali to oust Islamist fighters who have declared an Islamic state there. According to the report, the decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the Nigerian capital Abuja.
