Libya’s parliament speaker, Abdullah Bliheg, on Tuesday, said the parliament had suspended its appointed prime minister, Fathi Bashagha, and referred him to an investigation.

Mr Bliheg, on Twitter, said the parliament appointed Finance Minister Osama Hammad as acting premier after lawmakers discussed the government’s performance since it took office.

Before the parliament session, Mr Bashagha tried to delegate his powers to his deputy.

In February 2022, the eastern-based parliament appointed Mr Bashagha as the new head of government, though Abdul-Hamid Dbeibeh held this office.

Mr Dbeibeh, whose government in the capital Tripoli, was recognised by the United Nations, rejected the parliament’s decision, insisting he would only hand over power after a general election.

Since then, Mr Bashagha tried and failed to enter Tripoli, and his cabinet had been based in the city of Sirte.

Mr Dbeibeh’s government took office in March 2021 as part of an UN-brokered process to lead Libya until polls planned for December 2021, which never took place.

The election was part of a UN-backed plan to end more than a decade of chaos in Libya and end the political impasse between the rival governments.

(dpa/NAN)