The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday adopted a resolution extending its political mission in Libya for just three months after a dispute between the West and Russia over the appointment of a new top U.N. envoy for the North African country, which is trying to form a united government after 10 years of turmoil.

The extremely short text, which was adopted unanimously, provides for a continuation of the mission until April 30. An earlier version had authorized the mission until Sept. 15.

The text contains no mention of the council's hopes that presidential and legislative elections will be held soon in Libya. Initially scheduled for Dec. 24, the presidential election was supposed to have put an end to more than 10 years of chaos and conflict, but it has been postponed indefinitely.

Moscow, which favored a short renewal of the UNSMIL mission, threatened to use its veto and even went as far as proposing a counter-draft to the British text last week in order to stress the need for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint "without further delay" a new envoy for Libya.

Since the abrupt resignation in November of Jan Kubis of Slovakia, the post of U.N. envoy has been de facto occupied by the American Stephanie Williams, an Arabic-speaking diplomat with the title of "special adviser."

That allowed the U.N. head to skirt around the need for a UNSC agreement on the choice of an appointee, which has for years been a contentious issue.

According to diplomats, Russia is seeking to get rid of Williams as quickly as possible while the United States wants her to stay in her post.

That opposition, which effectively weakens Williams' position vis-a-vis the Libyans, was the main sticking point during the UNSC negotiations to renew the mandate of the U.N. mission.

Speaking after the vote, Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Anna Evstignyeva said she hoped the appointment of a new emissary to head the U.N. Libya mission "will make it possible to fully relaunch" the project.

By contrast, her U.S. counterpart Jeffrey DeLaurentis said the United States called on all UNSC members and the Libyans themselves to engage "constructively" with Williams and to support her efforts.

DeLaurentis called it "a sub-optimal outcome for the Libyan people and a poor reflection on the council."

France's Deputy Ambassador Nathalie Broadhurst regretted the lack of unity in the UNSC but said it "should encourage the Libyans to resolve their differences in order to allow the organization of presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible."

Oil-rich Libya plunged into turmoil after a NATO-backed 2011 uprising that split the country into rival governments – one in the east, backed by putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar, and another, U.N.-recognized administration in the capital of Tripoli, in the west.

In April 2019, Haftar and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), launched an offensive to attempt to capture Tripoli. His campaign collapsed after Turkey and Qatar stepped up their military support for the internationally recognized Tripoli government.

Mediated by Williams, the October 2020 cease-fire led to the formation of a transitional government and scheduled elections for Dec. 24. But the vote faced steep challenges that eventually forced its postponement.

Lawmakers push for new PM

Libyan lawmakers pushed ahead Monday with plans to appoint a new transitional government, more than a month after the country failed to hold its first presidential election.

Candidates may submit their bids for the post of prime minister, said Abdullah Bliheg, a spokesperson for the legislature. He said parliament will convene next week for deliberations on the candidates and the appointment of a new prime minister to lead the transitional government.

The parliament’s move to replace Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and his government is likely to fuel tensions between rival factions in the chaos-stricken country.

The effort to replace Dbeibah stems from Libya's failure to hold its first presidential election on his watch.

Bliheg spoke following a parliamentary session Monday in the eastern city of Tobruk. He said a new prime minister will be appointed after consultations with the High State Council, an advisory body based in the capital, Tripoli.

The parliament’s push to appoint a new prime minister challenges an appeal from the U.N. and Western governments for lawmakers to focus their efforts on resolving obstacles that led to the vote’s postponement, rather than appointing a new administration.

Dbeibah was named prime minister in February last year and his government’s main task was to steer the deeply divided country toward national reconciliation and lead it through elections. The vote has faced many deep-rooted challenges, which remain unsolved, hindering renewed U.N.-led efforts to reschedule the election for June. Those challenges include controversial candidates and disputed laws governing elections as well as the deep mistrust between rival factions.

However, Dbeibah said Monday that the government will continue to carry out its duties until elections are held in June.

Dbeibah's remarks came in response to Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh, who said the chamber would choose a new interim prime minister on Feb. 8.

Speaking to the Libya Al-Ahrar TV channel, Dbeibah said that what Saleh is doing is a "desperate attempt to renew division."

He said the government will continue to perform its duties until the completion of the elections and has fulfilled all its entitlements toward the elections without negligence.

Earlier Monday, Saleh announced the start of receiving the names of candidates for the prime minister's post.

He said at a session for parliament's roadmap committee that parliament shall start receiving the applications of candidates.

"In the upcoming session, the House of Representatives will look into nominating a prime minister," he added.