Libyan parliament removes 12-year speaker, signaling possible power shift in east

Libyan lawmakers removed Aguila Saleh, who had chaired the parliament for twelve years, and installed Al-Salhin Abdelnabi al-Obeidi as the new speaker. Saleh, aged 82, has long been identified as a staunch supporter of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, but his standing weakened as Haftar’s sons, notably Saddam Haftar, tightened their grip on power. Analyst Emadeddin Badi described Saleh’s ouster as the latest result of Saddam Haftar’s drive to centralize authority in eastern Libya.

The parliament, which operates from Benghazi under the control of Haftar’s faction, is a crucial institution for the rival administration that contests the UN-recognized government in Tripoli led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. The shift occurs amid ongoing U.S. diplomatic efforts aimed at unifying Libya’s fragmented institutions and restarting a national political process.