Libyan Parliament Ends Term of Dbeibah-led Unity Government
Libyan lawmakers voted to end the term of the Tripoli-based government led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on Tuesday.
In a statement, parliamentary spokesman Abdullah Belhaiq said the assembly voted to consider the East Libya-based cabinet of Osama Hammad as “the legitimate government until a new unified government is chosen.”
The parliament also named its speaker, Aguila Saleh, as the commander of the Libyan Armed Forces in place of the Presidency Council.
There was no immediate comment from Dbeibah’s government or the Presidency Council on the decisions.
On Monday, the Presidency Council formed a new agency for national referendums and inquiries, in a move rejected by the parliament.
Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi was ousted after four decades in power.
Efforts led by the U.N. to hold parliamentary and presidential elections have repeatedly stalled, prolonging the country’s political deadlock and exacerbating the security situation in the oil-rich nation.
The country is currently governed by two rival administrations: the U.N.-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) led by Dbeibeh in Tripoli, which controls the western part of the country, and the government of Osama Hammad, appointed by the parliament, which operates out of Benghazi and governs the eastern region and parts of the south.
