Libyan parliament ends term of Tripoli-based government amid political rift

By Ahmed Asmar
ANKARA (AA) – The Libyan parliament voted on Tuesday to end the term of the Tripoli-based government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.
In a statement, parliamentary spokesman Abdullah Belhaiq said the assembly voted to consider the East Libya-based cabinet of Osama Hammad as "the legitimate government until a new unified government is chosen."
The parliament also named its speaker, Aguila Saleh, as the commander of the Libyan Armed Forces in place of the Presidency Council.
There was no immediate comment from Dbeibeh’s government or the Presidency Council on the decisions.
On Monday, the Presidency Council formed a new agency for national referendums and inquiries, in a move rejected by the parliament.
Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.
The country is currently governed by two rival administrations: the UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) led by Dbeibeh in Tripoli, which controls the western part of the country, and the government of Osama Hammad, appointed by the parliament, which operates out of Benghazi and governs the eastern region and parts of the south.
Efforts led by the UN to hold parliamentary and presidential elections have repeatedly stalled, prolonging the country’s political deadlock and exacerbating the security situation in the oil-rich nation.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar