In Libya, the Parliament votes a motion of censure against the transitional government

The Libyan Parliament passed a motion of censure against the government of Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah on Tuesday, September 21, deepening tensions between rival camps in the east and the west and risking torpedoing the crucial December elections for the future of Libya, plagued by recurrent violence since the fall of the regime of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

The motion of censure against the transitional government sitting in the capital, Tripoli (west), was voted by 89 deputies out of the 113 present, announced the Parliament. The vote took place in a closed session in the presence of the Speaker of Parliament, Aguila Saleh, a strong ally of the strongman of the east, Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Despite the motion of censure, the current cabinet will not be replaced but becomes a “Government responsible for handling current affairs”, according to the spokesperson for Parliament.

This approach was welcomed ” with worry “ by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (Manul). “The holding of the presidential and parliamentary elections on December 24, 2021 must remain the primary objective”, hammered the UN in a statement. Above all, the UN mission “Confirm” than the current executive “Remains the legitimate government until it is replaced by another government in an orderly post-election process”.

A “masquerade”

“I reaffirm our determination to continue what we have started”, reacted Mr. Dbeibah from the town of Zawia (west). The Prime Minister then went to Place des Martyrs, in the heart of Tripoli, where he offered himself a walkabout in the middle of dozens of his supporters gathered on the vast esplanade. He greeted the deputies “Honorable people who rejected this masquerade”. And, under the cries of the demonstrators calling for the “Fall of Parliament”, replied that“With the help of God he will fall”. Mr. Dbeibah also called on his supporters to a “Great gathering” Friday at the same place.

The High Council of State (HCE), a body acting as a Senate in Tripoli, for its part ruled the ” procedure “ censorship like ” nothing “. “Our goal is to hold these elections. We do not want to give importance to anything that can hinder this goal ”, declared its president, Khaled el-Mechri, visiting Rabat.

Mohamed Eljarh, researcher at Libya Outlook, said on Twitter that Parliament’s vote constituted “A major escalation” susceptible to “Reinforce confusion and uncertainty” when the country is “A critical turning point”. After the upturn at the start of the year and the advent of a new unity government, Libya is again plunging into uncertainty, making the holding of the elections very hypothetical.

Glimmer of hope

After the end of the fighting between rival camps, in the summer of 2020, a unified and transitional government led by Mr. Dbeibah had indeed been formed in March to lead the transition, offering a glimmer of hope. Overcoming the war years, he had obtained the vote of confidence in Parliament and had been able to take office smoothly. Alongside a Presidential Council made up of three members, he was responsible for unifying the institutions, getting the country out of an internationalized conflict and carrying out the transition. But since then, parliament has never held a vote on the government’s budget, while divisions quickly resurfaced.

Latest episode to date: the ratification on September 9 of an electoral law clearly tailored to Mr. Haftar. Signed by the head of Parliament without being put to a vote, the text was greeted by a deluge of criticism from deputies and other bodies excluded from the legislative process. The article which concentrates the criticisms stipulates that a soldier can run for the presidential one on condition of giving up “His duties three months before the ballot”. And “If he is not elected, he will be able to return to his post and receive his salary arrears”.