Bashagha suspended by parliament and his duties handed over to his finance minister.

Parliament spokesperson Abdullah Belhaiq announced the suspension of Bashagha, who is a rival to the prime minister of the UN-recognised Government of National Unity (GNU), on Tuesday.

The eastern-based parliament appointed Bashagha last year but he has proven unable to enter the capital Tripoli or take over from Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, who has rejected his appointment.

Libya’s parliament appointed Bashagha, the former interior minister, as the new PM in February 2022.

The standoff between al-Dabaiba and Bashagha has gone on for months, with Libya’s powerful eastern faction lined up behind the latter, who is supported by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, while the numerous factions controlling Tripoli and the rest of the northwest were divided.

In 2014, Libya was split between rival administrations based in the east and the west of the country, each backed by an array of militias and several regional powers.

Years of negotiation, mediation and ceasefires have failed to bring peace following the removal of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

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