UN backs Libya's interim PM despite lawmakers' challenge

The UN says it would continue to support Libya's unity government chief Abdulhamid Dbeibah despite lawmakers in the country choosing a replacement of him.

Libya's parliament on Thursday unanimously elected Fathi Bashagha, a former interior minister,  to replace Dbeibah as head of the country's interim government.

Asked whether the UN continued to recognize Dbeibah as interim prime minister, spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said, "The short answer is yes."

Libya's chaotic politics 

Libya has not had a stable government since former ruler Moammar Gadhafi was toppled in 2011. Since then, ongoing power struggles between rival political factions have kept the country in chaos. 

The most recent attempt at a presidential election, which was slated for December, fell through after political rivals failed to agree on electoral rules. 

Interim Premier Abdul Hamid Dbeibah's Government of National Unity was set up by a UN-brokered process in February 2021, intended to keep a government in place until elections can be held. 

Based in Tripoli, Dbeibah's interim government does not have the support of the parliament based in eastern Libya, which seeks to replace the interim premier and assume power. 

The parliament has argued that Dbeibah's mandate ended after the failed election in December. 

On Wednesday, hundreds took to the streets of Tripoli to protest the parliament's decision to name a new premier. 

Interim prime minister may refuse to leave

Dbeibah warned that his dismissal would lead to "division and chaos" and said he would not step down unless he hands over power to an elected government. 

"We will not allow new transitional stages and will not retreat in our role in the government as we have pledged before the people until the elections are held," Dbeibah said in a televised address on Tuesday.

The divisions again threaten Libya with parallel governments operating in the east and west of the country, which were backed by different warring factions between 2014 and a cease-fire in 2020. 

Analysts have said a return to open east-west conflict is unlikely for now as internal power dynamics within the rival factions have become more fragmented. 

And Bashaga will still need to appoint a new interim government in order for his appointment to have any political effect. This will likely be a lengthy process, with rival factions jostling for position. 

Dbeibah has said consultations have begun to agree on a "road map" toward holding elections in June. However, no date has been set. 

lo, wmr/sms (AFP, dpa, Reuters)