The head of Libya's High Council of State (HCS), Khaled al-Mishri, called it wrong for the House of Representatives (permanent parliament) to conduct the procedure of electing Fathi Bashagha as the country's new prime minister, the Libyan news portal Al-Marsad reported on Wednesday night.
"The appointment by the parliament of a new chairman of the government before the meeting of the HSC is a wrong measure that does not contribute to building trust between the two political bodies," al-Mishri stressed.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, 74 members of the 145-member HCS expressed support for Bashagha and pointed out in their statement that the decisions made by the parliament were based on formal agreements between the Council and the House of Representatives.
In turn, 54 members of the HCS supported the chairman of Libya's Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, who rejected the decisions taken by the legislature. They also called for the general elections, originally scheduled for last December, to be scheduled for July this year.
On February 10, the Libyan House of Representatives elected a new prime minister with a two-week deadline to form his cabinet. He is the former interior minister of the Fayez al-Sarraj's Government of National Accord (now dissolved) Bashagha, who previously ran in the presidential elections, which have not yet taken place. His appointment, which was supported by the Libyan National Army of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, has already sparked another internal conflict that threatens to once again lead to dual power and escalate into armed confrontation.
Dbeibeh has repeatedly warned that he does not intend to resign and will only hand over the reins of power to his successor after general elections, the date of which has not yet been determined.
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Photo: imago images/photothek/TASS
Based on materials from TASS