The resignation of Libya's interim government has been rejected by the eastern-headquartered House of Representatives (HoR), the Amman-based 218TV broadcaster reported on Monday, citing sources
CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2020) The resignation of Libya's interim government has been rejected by the eastern-headquartered House of Representatives (HoR), the Amman-based 218TV broadcaster reported on Monday, citing sources.
On September 13, the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani submitted a letter of resignation to the parliament's speaker, Aguila Saleh, in the wake of mass anti-government protests.
"At today's meeting in Benghazi, the House of Representatives rejected the resignation letter submitted earlier by the Libyan government," sources told the media outlet.
In late September, a member of the HoR's defense and national security committee, Ali Tikbali, told Sputnik that the resignation of Al-Thani's government was very unlikely due to a lack of required quorum. According to the lawmaker, the eastern government has attracted much criticism over its corruption-related activities and the complaints against it were "deserved."
The public protests took place in early September in Benghazi and other big cities in eastern Libya because of regular power cuts and poor living conditions. Prior to that, the capital of Tripoli and cities under the control of the western-based authorities were also gripped by mass rallies, with citizens � mainly young people � demanding the resignation of the current administration and an end to corruption.
Libya has been divided between two opposing governments since the overthrow and assassination of the country's long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The western part of the country, including the capital of Tripoli, is controlled by the UN-backed Government of National Accord, while the eastern � including Benghazi � by the Tobruk-based parliament that is supported by the Libyan National Army, headed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
