Tripoli: Libya’s Islamist-backed parliament dismissed Prime Minister Omar al-Hasi on Tuesday, media reported citing a parliamentary source.
The Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC) made the decision after a vote and assigned Khalifa al-Gauil the role of conducting government businesses until a new prime minister was chosen, the GNC announced, according to a Xinhua report.
Libya has been witnessing political instability since 2011, when the international community and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces contributed to overthrow the dictatorial regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Following Gaddafi’s ouster, two rival parliaments emerged in Libya — the secular and internationally-recognised House of Representatives, based in the city of Tobruk and the Tripoli-based and Islamist-backed GNC, which is not recognised by foreign governments.
A parliamentary spokesman said that 74 of the 85 members of the Tripoli parliament who attended Tuesday’s session voted to replace al-Hasi, as a “first step” towards forming a unity government with the Tobruk-based government, adding that al-Hasi’s dismissal was requested by 14 ministers of the Tripoli parliament, according to the Spanish news agency Efe.
The spokesman added that the decision only affected al-Hasi, and that it was agreed that a new prime minister would be appointed within a month.
Al-Hasi, 55, while having close ties to the Fajr Libya (Dawn of Libya) Islamist militia, the armed wing of the government in Tripoli, faced criticism over his security policies.
According to some media reports the reason for al-Hasi’s dismissal was on account of corruption, and for failing to ensure international recognition for the Tripoli government.
The two rival governments in Libya have been struggling for power and fighting rages on near major cities like Benghazi and Tripoli.