The Libyan parliament unanimously voted on Thursday to appoint former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha as the head of a new government, despite current Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh’s refusal to step down, which opens the door to a new division and conflict between two governments in the country. Abdullah Belhaq, the spokesperson for the council, stated in a press release that the House of Representatives "voted unanimously to grant confidence to Mr. Fathi Bashagha as Prime Minister."
The Libyan State Council also supported the House of Representatives' decision to choose Bashagha as Prime Minister. The Libyan Army welcomed and endorsed the parliament’s decision, "assigning Fathi Bashagha to form a government that will lead the country towards a better future, working with military and security institutions to enforce the state’s authority and preserve its resources, while paving the way for elections and unifying state institutions, alongside supporting the fight against terrorism."
Previously, the President of the Libyan Parliament, Aguila Saleh, stated that the position of the next Prime Minister was decided in favor of former Interior Minister Bashagha after receiving endorsement from the higher state council and the withdrawal of the second candidate, Khalid al-Bibass. This was announced during his presidency of a general session held on Thursday, which was dedicated to amending the constitutional declaration and selecting a new Prime Minister. Saleh noted that "the parliament received a message from the higher state council endorsing the nomination of candidate Fathi Bashagha for the position of Prime Minister, and was informed of the second candidate Khalid al-Bibass's intention to withdraw from the competition for this position."
Bashagha, who served as Minister of Interior in the Government of National Accord from 2018 to 2021, is a significant political and military figure in the western region and is described as a consensus candidate who has support from both the east and south, following his rapprochement with the General Command of the Army and alliance with Parliament President Aguila Saleh in the political dialogue elections won by Abdulhamid Dbeibeh. Bashagha also maintains good relations with Cairo, having visited it several times, as well as with several Western capitals.
However, Bashagha will once again face off against current Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, who is determined to hold onto his position and refuses to transfer power except to an elected government, increasing the likelihood of political division and power struggles. Earlier, the President of the Libyan House of Representatives announced the approval of the constitutional declaration by an absolute majority. Saleh stated in a televised broadcast that the declaration calls for the formation of a committee of 24 members representing the three main geographic areas of the country, nominated "equally" between the parliament and the higher state council. Earlier on Thursday, Libyan television reported that the State Council requested a postponement of the parliamentary session to select a Prime Minister until the end of next week.
