After nearly twelve years at the helm of Libya's House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh has been removed from the presidency of the Eastern-based Parliament. The decision was made by the assembly's 170 members amid growing internal dissatisfaction with his leadership.
He has been replaced by Al-Salhin Abdulnabi al-Obeidi, an engineer and representative from the city of Tobruk.
This leadership change comes just one day after 98 parliamentarians approved a new mechanism setting a 12-month term limit for the president and vice-presidents of the House.
Saleh challenged the validity of the procedure. According to local media, the former president argued that the vote on the new limitations was unofficial and had no legal consequences.
A central figure in Eastern Libyan institutions for over a decade, Saleh was a key political ally of Khalifa Haftar. However, some analysts suggest that his political influence has waned as the Haftar family's power, particularly Saddam Haftar, has grown.
This ousting occurs within a deeply fragmented political landscape. Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been mired in political and security instability, with rival institutions and multiple power centers.
The country remains divided between the authorities based in Tripoli and the Eastern administration backed by Haftar. International efforts to establish unified institutions and a new national political framework have yet to yield a definitive solution to the crisis.
The change in the House of Representatives' leadership also coincides with discussions of a new United States initiative aimed at reviving the political process and promoting the unification of Libyan institutions.
(Associated Medias) - All rights reserved