George Grant and Sami Zaptia TRIPOLI – The National Congress has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion that disbars any of its members from holding the position of prime minister in the next government. Congressmen are still in session and it is has not yet been confirmed whether or not the separation of powers will also be applied to other government ministries. “Forty-four Congressmen voted against the motion, and the rest voted in favor,” a Congress spokesman told the Libya Herald. “We should have some more clarity regarding whether or not the decision is just restricted to the post of the prime minister once this session has ended. “With none of the main contenders for the prime minister's job currently members of the Congress, today's decision is not believed to have significantly altered the dynamics of who will be elected to the post.” The two names most commonly cited as the front-runners for the prime ministership are Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur and Electricity Minister Awad Barasi. In the past few days, however, there has also been mention of a possible late entry to the race by NFA leader Mahmoud Jibril, who is not himself a member of the Congress. The name of Ali Zidan, the independent Congressman who stood unsuccessfully for the Speakership last month, has also been mentioned as a possible candidate in the past, although today's vote means he will not be able to run. The decision of who will be prime minister is due to be announced on Sept. 8. – Libya Herald
