The Tobruk House of Representatives (HoR) has rejected a vote of confidence in the Libyan unity government led by Fayez al Sarraj, local media sources reported Monday.
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The vote is a fresh blow for the Government of National Accord (GNA), which has been seeking the parliament’s endorsement for months as it tries to extend its influence and authority beyond its base in the capital.
Parliament speaker Aguila Saleh as well as 101 lawmakers attended Monday’s vote, the House of Representatives said on its website.
Despite the repeatedly delayed vote, the GNA has managed to gather forces who since May 12 have been battling to kick the Islamic State jihadist group out of their coastal stronghold of Sirte east of the capital.
“The majority of lawmakers present at the parliament session voted no confidence in the government”, Adam Boussakhra, parliament spokesman, told the AFP news agency.
The development is a major blow to worldwide efforts to resolve the crisis in the deeply divided North African country.
The GNA was installed in March this year in hopes of healing Libya’s deep political rifts, but since then has failed to win the support of either the HoR or the GNC, although some members have broken off to join the GNA.
Libya has been mired in conflict since the 2011 downfall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
IS seized Gadhafi’s hometown of Sirte in 2015, raising fears that Libya could provide a launch pad for attacks on Europe, just across the Mediterranean Sea.
Lawmaker Abdel-Salam Nassiya said the Cabinet would now have to be changed to include more representation from Libya’s east, where the parliament is seated.
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More than 2.4 million people in Libya are in need of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations said on Friday.
