Libya’s parliament speaker ousted after 12 years

Libya’s parliament speaker, a supporter of eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar, was ousted on Tuesday after 12 years in the post, in what experts said may be a sign of a shifting political balance.

MPs voted to replace Agila Saleh with Al-Salhin Abdelnabi al-Obeidi, the parliament’s spokesman announced on X.

Libya has been beset by violence and instability since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

It remains divided between the UN-recognised government in Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east backed by military commander Haftar.

Haftar’s camp relies in particular on the parliament, which sits in the eastern city of Benghazi under their control.

Saleh, 82, has long been considered a staunch ally of the Haftar clan, but he appeared to be weakened as Haftar’s sons, in particular Saddam Haftar, consolidated their positions.

Emadeddin Badi, an analyst at the London-based Chatham House, said: “Agila Saleh appears to be the latest casualty of Saddam Haftar’s drive to centralize decision-making in eastern Libya and bulldoze his way into a political role.”

His removal comes as a US initiative aimed at reviving the political process and unifying Libya’s institutions is under discussion.