Libya’s Parliament Removes Speaker Aguila Saleh After 12 Years

Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives has removed its longtime Speaker, Aguila Saleh, after 12 years in office, amid growing dissatisfaction among lawmakers over his leadership.

The 170-member parliament voted on Tuesday to replace Saleh with Al-Salhin Abdelnabi al-Obeidi, a lawmaker representing the eastern city of Tobruk.

The decision came a day after 98 lawmakers approved a new rule limiting the speaker and deputy speakers to a single 12-month term. The move effectively ended the leadership arrangement that had been in place since the parliament first elected its leadership in 2014.

Lawmakers accused the former speaker of making decisions without adequate consultation. Jebree Oheida, a member of parliament, said there had been significant dissatisfaction with Saleh’s leadership and that previous efforts to resolve the issues had failed.

Saleh had rejected the proceedings, arguing that the vote to limit his tenure was unofficial and had no legal effect. He also announced the cancellation of the parliamentary session scheduled for Tuesday.

The leadership change comes as Libya remains politically and militarily divided between the UN-recognised government based in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east, which is backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.

Saleh had long been regarded as a close ally of the Haftar family. However, analysts said his influence had weakened as Haftar’s sons, particularly Saddam Haftar, strengthened their positions in eastern Libya.

Analyst Emadeddin Badi of Chatham House described Saleh as the latest casualty of efforts by Saddam Haftar to consolidate decision-making power in eastern Libya.

The House of Representatives also elected Tarek al-Ashtar and Misbah Douma as first and second deputy speakers.

The leadership changes come amid renewed efforts to reunify Libya. In August, rival political factions signed a UN-backed agreement that could pave the way for presidential and parliamentary elections within two years.

Libya has remained divided since the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with repeated political and institutional disputes preventing the country from holding nationwide elections.

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