(3 minutes read)
· Libya’s Parliament will meet next week to pick a replacement for interim Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah
· Analysts believe that this development does not augur well for the country since it may escalate tensions between the country’s eastern and western factions
· The planned elections in December were abandoned amid bitter arguments over their legal sanctity.
Libya’s Parliament will meet next week to pick a replacement for interim Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah. Analysts believe that this development does not augur well for the country since it may escalate tensions between the country’s eastern and western factions.
The planned elections in December were abandoned amid bitter arguments over their legal sanctity. This is indicative of bitter differences between eastern and western factions in the war-torn country, which many believed, have been simmering with the peace efforts going on at the instance of the UN and some western countries.
The assembly is based in the country’s east. It is ready to start examining applications for the interim prime minister. Candidates will face hearings in the house on February 7. In the following day, the interim prime minister will be selected.
Dbeibah’s government, some argue, had only a mandate to lead the country to December 24 elections. He was a presidential aspirant despite having committed to not running. Parliament speaker Aguila Saleh, also a presidential hopeful, has led calls to replace Dbeibah, arguing his mandate was over since the poll could not be held in time. The parliament, in the eastern city of Tobruk, had already passed a no-confidence motion against Dbeibahs’ government in September. However, this vote was rejected by the upper house based in the capital. The UN, western powers and even some members of parliament have called for Dbeibah to continue in office since a date for the election has not been firmed up as yet.
Bliheq had hit out on western forces telling them not to interfere in the internal affairs of the country. Dbeibah’s take is that he would hand over power to an elected government, for which he is getting support from some sources. One has to wait and see what would happen next week.
