The Illusion of Order in Benghazi

Twelve years is an eternity in North African politics, particularly in a country with two competing governments and no functional national mandate. Aguila Saleh, who had presided over Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives since 2014, finally ran out of political capital this week.

The mechanism of his removal was surprisingly procedural for a nation defined by armed rivalries. Ninety-eight members of the 170-seat assembly voted to limit parliamentary leadership positions to a single 12-month term. Saleh attempted to dismiss the maneuver as legally void and cancelled the scheduled session, but his colleagues simply ignored him. Under the supervision of Second Deputy Speaker Misbah Douma, the assembly elected Al-Salhin Abdelnabi al-Obeidi as the new speaker, alongside Tarek al-Ashtar as first deputy speaker.

Obeidi, who hails from Tobruk and shares tribal ties with his predecessor, previously headed parliament’s Libyan-Turkish friendship committee. Yet attributing this sudden appetite for term limits to parliamentary reform would be naive. Lawmakers voiced frustration over unilateral decisions and persistent missteps, but the structural shift aligns neatly with the rising influence of Saddam Haftar, who has been steadily consolidating authority in the east at the expense of old-guard figures like Saleh.

The broader Libyan landscape remains stubbornly unchanged. The country stays split between Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s UN-recognised administration in Tripoli and the military-backed eastern bloc anchored in Benghazi under Khalifa Haftar. While UN mediators point to the August 4+4 committee agreement as a pathway toward elections within two years, parallel diplomatic efforts persist. The United States is pursuing its own distinct reunification strategy, directed by Massad Boulos, senior adviser for Arab and African affairs to President Donald Trump.

Replacing a twelve-year fixture with an annual rotation may give eastern lawmakers a sense of motion. Whether it alters the fundamental balance of power in a country governed by military commanders is quite another matter.

Written by Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@alpineweekly.com