Member of the Libyan Parliament, Ali Al-Tekbali stressed that the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba must acquiesce and agree to hand over power. “Otherwise, Dbaiba will lose everything, and history will not be written in his favour, noting that he was one of the obstructionists,” he claimed.
In press statements, Al-Tekbali explained that the Parliament saved the country from division, by electing a new government.
He called on the Libyan PM to peacefully hand over power to Prime Minister-designate Fathi Bashagha. This is to “spare the country from entering the labyrinths of another armed conflict or an institutional and political division that will exacerbate the current crisis.”
On Tuesday, the Libyan Parliament ushered in a new transitional government for the country, headed by Bashagha. 92 of the 101 lawmakers in attendance approved the decision, in a live broadcast from the city of Tobruk.
The new Libyan government includes three deputy prime ministers, 29 ministers, and six ministers of state. Two women are in the Cabinet, overseeing the Ministry of Culture and Arts, and holding the position of State Minister for Women’s Affairs.
Bashagha appointed Ahmed Houma, the Second Deputy Speaker of the Parliament to lead the Ministry of Defense, and Brig. Essam Abu Zreiba, from the western city of Zawiya as Interior Minister. Former Ambassador to the European Union, Hafez Qadour was named Foreign Minister.
The appointment of Bashagha last month, a former Libyan Interior Minister from the western city of Misrata, is part of a new Parliamentary roadmap. It also involves several constitutional amendments, and for elections to be held in 14 months.
The move deepened divisions among rival factions, and raised fears that fighting could return after more than a year and a half of relative calm. Opposing armed groups have been mobilising in Tripoli over recent weeks, as the country’s search for peace and a unified central government remains elusive.
Dbaiba has previously warned that the appointment of a new interim government could lead to war and chaos in the country. He renewed his pledge to only hand power over to an elected government. He also announced a plan that is likely to be unrealistic, which is to hold elections in June.