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Libya’s House of Representatives Votes to Replace Long-Serving Speaker
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Parliament Votes to Replace Longtime Speaker
Lawmakers in Libya’s eastern-based 170-member House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to remove Aguila Saleh, who had presided over the chamber for twelve years. The session, overseen by Second Deputy Speaker Misbah Douma, elected Al-Salhin Abdelnabi al-Obeidi—previously the parliament’s spokesperson and a member of the Tobruk tribe—as the new speaker. The same meeting also chose Tarek al-Ashtar and Mesbah Douma as first and second deputy speakers, respectively.
Background: Libya’s Split Governance
Since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been divided between a United Nations-recognised government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar. The eastern parliament, seated in Benghazi, has functioned as the political arm of Haftar’s camp. Saleh, aged 82, was widely regarded as a staunch ally of the Haftar family, though recent consolidation of power by Haftar’s sons—particularly Saddam Haftar—appeared to erode his influence.
Data & Statistics
- House of Representatives: 170 seats.
- Vote to limit speaker and deputy speakers to a single 12-month term was approved by 98 members.
- In the session that elected the new speaker, 98 votes were cast in favour out of 102 parliamentarians present.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Agila Saleh appears to be the latest casualty of Saddam Haftar’s drive to centralise decision-making in eastern Libya and bulldoze his way into a political role,” — Emadeddin Badi, analyst at the London-based Chatham House.