Khaled Al-Mishri has intensified his confrontation with the Prime Minister of the interim Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdul Hamid Dbaiba, accusing him of disregarding court rulings and interfering in the leadership dispute within the High Council of State (HCS).
The dispute escalated after Dbaiba welcomed Mohamed Takala, Al-Mishri’s rival for the HCS presidency, at his office in Tripoli, further fueling political tensions.
Al-Mishri and Takala have been locked in a bitter leadership battle since the August 6, 2024, elections, with both securing contradictory court rulings in their favor.
Dbaiba’s decision to recognize Takala’s leadership outraged Al-Mishri, who denounced the meeting as a blatant violation of judicial decisions and accused Dbaiba of siding with an illegitimate faction to manipulate political institutions.
During his meeting with Takala, Dbaiba called for respect for judicial rulings, arguing that adherence to legal and institutional frameworks is key to Libya’s stability. However, Al-Mishri dismissed these remarks as hypocritical, accusing Dbaiba himself of consistently ignoring court orders.
He cited the ongoing Oil Ministry dispute, where Dbaiba refused to reinstate Minister Mohamed Aoun, despite a court ruling in his favor. Instead, the government continues to recognize Khalifa Abdul-Sadiq as acting oil minister, in direct defiance of the judiciary.
Al-Mishri further escalated his attack, stating that all those present at Dbaiba’s meeting had been ruled ineligible to hold office, accusing the prime minister of using political interference to counter the growing alignment between the House of Representatives (HoR) and the HCS on key national issues.
The HCS leadership crisis erupted after the August 6 elections, where Al-Mishri initially won with 69 votes against Takala’s 68. However, a dispute over the validity of a single vote triggered months of legal battles, further deepening Libya’s political deadlock.
Dbaiba, attempting to frame his meeting with Takala as a step toward political consensus, stated that expanding agreement within the HCS is critical for drafting electoral laws and establishing a constitutional framework for long-awaited national elections.
