The government appointed by Libya’s parliament under former Interior Ministry Fathi Bashagha has officially started working from the central city of Sirte, Libya’s parliament said on Tuesday.
Bashagha’s government can’t enter the capital “as Tripoli is under the control of armed groups,” Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh said.
He added, “The government officially decided to assume its duties from Sirte in order to avoid bloodshed,” in a speech to parliament.
The parliament speaker said the government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh refuses to hand over government premises in Tripoli to Bashagha’s cabinet.
He added, “This is a clear violation of the constitution and law.”
The Dbeibeh government has made no comments on Saleh’s statements.
Two governments in Libya, namely the national unity government led by Dbeibeh and the one granted confidence in early March by the Tobruk-based House of Representatives, have been present in the country for more than two months.
Raising fears that the oil-rich country could slip back into a civil war, Dbeibeh has previously said that he would only cede authority to a government that comes through an “elected parliament,”
