Libya headed back to 'square one' of post-Gaddafi turmoil if polls delayed: parliamentary speaker

FILE PHOTO: Parliament head Aguila Saleh attends a session to discuss approving new government, in Sirte, Libya March 8, 2021. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori/File Photo

QUBAH, Libya (Reuters) - Libya will return to "square one" and the turmoil of 2011 if national elections planned for December are delayed, the speaker of parliament said, with a new rival government likely to set itself up in the east.

The elections are seen in the West as a critical step in efforts to bring stability to Libya, which has been in chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Muammar Gaddafi.