Libyan Prime Minister Dbeibé survives an assassination attempt

Abdul Hamid Dbeibé, head of the Government of National Unity (GNU), has been the target of an assassination attempt while on his way home in central Tripoli. According to local sources, gunmen fired at the prime minister's car but he escaped unhurt. The Arab media Al-Hadath and Al Arabiya have broadcast exclusive footage showing bullets hitting the windscreen of Dbeibé's car. The Libyan Prosecutor General's Office has already launched an investigation into the alleged assassination.

This incident comes amid fierce disputes over control of the Libyan government. In fact, a vote is scheduled for Thursday in parliament to elect a new prime minister, a decision rejected by Dbeibé, who said he would not allow "a new transitional period". "The Government of National Unity will continue until it hands over power to an elected administration," declared the prime minister, who is internationally recognised despite not having been elected at the polls. 

The GNU leader also warned that appointing a new prime minister would lead the country back to "division and chaos". He encouraged Libyans to take to the streets to denounce the appointment of a new government. "I will not allow the political class that has been dominant for years to monopolise the scene and manipulate the country again," he said.

The prime minister also slammed the Libyan parliament, which he accused of acting illegally. "The House of Representatives seeks to create a parallel authority through alliances between parties that until recently had hostile relations, with the aim of disrupting the elections and extending themselves without a specific time limit," Dbeibé added.

Dbeibé, who comes from a powerful Misurata family, was elected by the UN-backed Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LDPF) in February last year. The politician has been backed by foreign powers such as Qatar and Turkey. For this reason, Dbeibé has been accused of acting according to foreign interests and agendas. However, this is not the only criticism of the prime minister. Some of the Libyan people also accuse Dbeibé and his family of corruption. 

Following the failure of the presidential elections, which were to have been held on 24 December, pressure on the GNU has increased. Dbeibé's legitimacy has also deteriorated, as he initially promised not to run in the elections in order to leave the way open for a new executive, but he eventually stood as a candidate.

Libya's parliament, chaired by Aguilah Issa, has declared the GNU invalid, so they scheduled the vote to replace Dbeibé, as preparations to set a new election date would take up to eight months, according to the electoral authorities. The House of Representatives considers that Dbeibé's government has been "out of mandate" by the postponement of the elections, and stresses the need to form a new executive.

The candidates selected by parliament to replace Dbeibé are Fathi Bashagha, minister of the interior in Fayez al-Sarraj's government between 2018 and 2020, and Khaled Al Bibass, former chairman of the board of directors of a technology company specialising in information technology and communications. Issa announced that he had received seven nominations for prime minister, but finally accepted only those of Bashagha and Al Bibass because they met the conditions.

Bashagha, who had already run in the December elections, survived an assassination attempt in February 2021, while in August 2020, during his tenure as minister, he was arrested for violently suppressing protests in Tripoli. The Libyan politician was also a candidate for transitional prime minister in February 2021, but lost to Dbeibé.

After the fall of Muammar al-Gaddafi, Libya has suffered serious internal conflicts. In addition, foreign powers have taken advantage of this instability to try to expand their influence over the country and the region. As if this were not enough, new movements of Daesh-linked groups have recently been reported in the south of the country.