Walid Abdullah
21 September 2021•Update: 21 September 2021
TRIPOLI, Libya
Libya’s House of Representatives on Tuesday withdrew confidence from the unity government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.
The parliament decided to withdraw confidence from the government by a majority of 89 out of 113 lawmakers who attended today's session, parliamentary spokesman Abdullah Belhaiq said on Facebook. He did not give further details.
The High Council of State criticized the move, with its spokesman Muhammad Abdel Nasser tweeting that it “rejects the procedure of withdrawing confidence from the national unity government, and considers it void for violating the constitutional declaration and the political agreement, and considers everything that results from them null.”
There was no comment from the unity government on the move.
Meanwhile, 38 lawmakers signed a petition in opposition to parliament withdrawing confidence from the government, local Al-Ahrar TV channel reported.
Also, mayors of 65 out of 116 municipalities in Libya announced their rejection of the motion, saying it lacks constitutional or legal basis and "aims only to sow chaos."
Tension has risen between the Libyan parliament, the High Council of State, and the unity government over electoral powers and laws.
Tuesday’s move by parliament threatens plans to hold the country’s parliamentary and presidential elections on Dec 24.
Meanwhile, renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar still acts separately from the unity government and claims to be "commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army," quarreling with the Presidential Council on competencies.
*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat
