Libya: GNU prime minister refuses to hand over power until election

The Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, has again refused to hand over power until a new government has been put together after a General Election. The alternative government backed by the Tobruk-based Libyan House of Representatives is “born dead,” he insists.

Dbeibeh made his comments in a speech during the fifth regular meeting this year of the GNU’s Council of Ministers on Tuesday, which was broadcast on the government’s official Facebook page yesterday. “We affirm that the Libyan Government of National Unity continues to perform its duties normally until handing power to a legitimate, elected government,” he explained.

Libya’s political division has raised fears of a civil war following the inauguration of Fathi Bashagha as prime minister by the House of Representatives in Tobruk. Dbeibeh described Bashagha’s reported intention to enter Tripoli after crossing into Libya from Tunisia as an “illusory absurdity”.

Nevertheless, the Libyan capital is on high security alert, not least because the news of Bashagha’s intention to enter Tripoli came a day after his meeting in Tunisia with leaders of militias from western Libya.

“Limiting the problem to just trying to enter the capital simply confirms the fact that what is born dead due to forgery will not be revived by infiltration and attempts to storm into Tripoli,” said Dbeibeh, “because what is built on illegitimacy is illegitimate.”

The Facebook broadcast also covered his order for security and military forces to take all possible measures to deal with the crisis created by the closures of oil fields and ports in the country. Dbeibeh called on the public prosecutor to “initiate an immediate investigation on the closures against everyone involved.”

The closures have affected Libya for the past three days. Those behind them have called on Dbeibeh’s government to leave office and hand power to Bashagha’s government appointed by the Tobruk-based parliament.

READ: Libya’s oil should not be politicised, says UN envoy