TRIPOLI–Libya’s parliament speaker, a longtime ally of eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar, was ousted from his post on Tuesday after 12 years in office, analysts say, which could mark a shift in political power in the divided eastern part of the country.
Members of the House of Representatives voted to replace Agila Saleh with Al-Salhin Abdelnabi Al-Obeidi, the parliament’s spokesman announced on X.
Libya has been plagued by violence and instability since the 2011 fall of Muammar Qaddafi, and is divided between the UN-backed Government of National Unity in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east supported by Haftar.
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The eastern administration is dependent on the parliament, which meets in the city of Benghazi, under Haftar’s control.
Saleh, 82, was considered a loyal member of the Haftar family for years. However, his situation seemed to be getting weaker as Haftar’s sons, especially Saddam Haftar, were trying to tighten their control over power.
“Agila Saleh seems to be the next victim of Saddam Haftar’s bid to consolidate power in eastern Libya and to bulldoze his way into a political position,” said Emadeddin Badi, analyst at the London-based Chatham House.
The ouster arrives as Washington is pushing a new push to revive the stalled political process and unite the country’s splintered institutions in Libya.
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