The Libyan Parliament has agreed to summon the government of Fathi Bashagha, to question it regarding current expenditures, and expenditures for 2022.
The Spokesman for the Libyan Parliament, Abdullah Blaiheg said that “the government will be interrogated about its actions since its mandate, before approving the 2023 budget.”
He explained that the majority of MP’s demanded, during a plenary session, that the Bashagha government be summoned to be held accountable regarding the final accounts of the 2022 expenditures.
According to Al-Arabiya news, the MP’s may interrogate Bashagha during the accountability session, whose date has not yet been set, for a detailed report on the government’s expenditures.
The Bashagha government was subjected to major criticism, a year after it was appointed by Parliament. The PM has failed to enter the capital, Tripoli, to take power from the Government of National Unity (GNU) led by his rival PM Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba.
In June 2022, the Parliament approved a budget of 89 billion dinars ($18 billion dollars) for the Bashagha government, but it faced a financial dilemma, due to the refusal of the Central Bank of Libya (CBL), based in Tripoli, to liquidate this amount.
Bashagha’s administration proposed a draft general budget for the year 2023, estimated at 57.5 billion dinars. The Parliament refused to ratify the budget, and demanded that it be amended.
Earlier this month, Blaiheg ruled out holding general elections in the country given the presence of two competing governments.
He stated that the members of the future government should not participate in the elections, in accordance with the constitutional declaration. He also called for a unified government in the country to hold the elections.
The Spokesman added that the future government must gain confidence from the Libyan Parliament.
Blaiheg noted that, “Dbaiba’s government has evaded its agreed-upon duties. The future government must not follow the approach of the outgoing government.”
