CAIRO (AP) — One of Libya’s rival administrations voted Tuesday to suspend its prime minister, who has been placed under investigation, the parliament’s spokesperson said.
Fathi Bashagha was the prime Minister of Libya’s eastern-based parliament, known as the House of Representatives, which operates in Tobruk.
The reason for Bashagha’s suspension and investigation was not immediately clear.
The House of Representatives finance minister, Osama Hamada, has taken over Bashagha’s duties, spokesperson Abdullah Belhaiq said.
Torn by civil conflict since 2011, Libya is divided between two rival governments, each backed by international patrons and numerous armed militias on the ground. Libya’s Western government is based in the capital Tripoli and is headed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
Bashagha, a former interior minister and air force pilot, was appointed prime minister by the House of Representatives in February 2022.
The U.N.’s special representative to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, unveiled an initiative in late February aiming to usher the divided country to the ballot box before the end of 2023. Both parliaments have agreed upon a joint committee to draft electoral law for the vote, however progress has since slowed.