Lawmakers elected Saleheen Abdulnabi to replace Aguila Saleh; a day earlier, the chamber approved a one-year term for its leadership.
Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives elected Saleheen Abdulnabi as its new speaker, replacing Aguila Saleh, who had held the post for nearly 12 years. The chamber’s spokesman Abdullah Blehaq announced the result on Tuesday after a vote in Benghazi.
The change followed approval of new term limits for the speaker and deputies. On Monday, 98 lawmakers backed a single 12-month term, ending an arrangement that had been in place since the chamber’s first leadership was elected in 2014. Lawmaker Jebreel Oheida told Reuters that members had become dissatisfied with the previous leadership, including decisions made without consulting the chamber.
Abdulnabi represents Tobruk and, like Saleh, belongs to the Saleh tribe. He previously chaired parliament’s Libyan-Turkish friendship committee and holds a master’s degree in civil engineering. Deputies were also elected at the session.
The leadership change comes amid Libya’s continuing political divide. Since 2014, rival administrations have operated in the east and west; the internationally recognised Government of National Unity is based in Tripoli. Saleh was an ally of eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar and had long played a central role in diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.
Reuters said the vote unfolded amid disputes over the chamber’s leadership and procedures. The election is therefore described as a decision by the eastern-based parliament; it does not by itself reunify Libya’s state institutions.