The new cabinet, led by Abdelhamid Dbeibah, is tasked with putting in place an UN-brokered political road map that will lead to elections in December.

Libya's transitional government has taken power in the capital, Tripoli, formally kicking off a process aimed at ending the country's ten-year-long chaos and leading to elections, later this year.

On Tuesday, Fayez al-Sarraj, the outgoing UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA), handed over power to Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah and President Mohammad Younes Menfi, who oversees a three-member presidential council.

The ceremony in Tripoli came a day after Dbeibah and his cabinets were sworn in in Tobruk, Libya's eastern city, in front of legislators and top judges. Last week, lawmakers accepted the provisional government in the face of international pressure to pursue an UN-brokered diplomatic road map.

The deadline for general elections was set for December 24, an optimistic timetable filled with obstacles.

Two deputy prime ministers, 26 ministers, and six ministers of the state make up Dbeibah's cabinet, with five positions. It includes the main foreign affairs and justice portfolios, for women for the first time in Libya.

Dbeibah, a 61-year-old businessman from Misrata in Libya's western port city, held positions under longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi but has shown no strong ideological viewpoint. He also has ties with Turkey and is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The suddenly smooth transition of power is being celebrated as a crucial step toward ending the country's instability. In 2014, due to lack of a proper handover among legislators turned out to be a major factor in Libya's institutions splitting.

Libya was thrown into turmoil in 2011 when Gaddafi was ousted by a NATO-backed revolt and later killed. For years, the country was divided and governed by two competing administrations: the GNA, based in Tripoli, and a parallel cabinet, based in the east and controlled by de facto forces, pledging allegiance to renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar.

The GNA has received support from Turkey, while Haftar has received support from the UAE, Egypt, France, and Russia.

The handover on Tuesday was “yet another landmark day for Libya,” according to Claudia Gazzini, a Libya expert at the International Crisis Group. The transitional government will face major obstacles, including preventing a diplomatic war resumption, she confirms.

According to the UN, there are 20,000 foreign fighters in Libya, including Syrians, Turks, Sudanese, and Russians who have been brought in by rival factions.

Anas El Gomati, founder and director of the Sadeq Institute says, apart from offering essential services such as electricity, water, and bank liquidity, the new government would also provide vaccinations due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“Moving from a time of confrontation to a time of collaboration is much more difficult than putting together a new cabinet,” El Gomati added.

“Just because they found an agreement doesn't mean these groups would cooperate,” he said, referring to competing militant groups. He further says that in the military route that is fundamentally political, there is no sign of progress.