BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – Libya’s parliament on Tuesday approved a new government despite the incumbent administration vowing not to cede power, pushing a fragile peace process to the brink of collapse and raising the risk of new fighting or territorial division.
The parliament’s declaration of Fathi Bashagha as prime minister after a televised vote aggravates a power struggle with the interim administration of Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, who was installed through a U.N.-backed process last year.
Opposing armed groups have mobilised in the capital Tripoli over recent weeks and foreign forces that have backed rival warring factions remain embedded in the country.
It is not clear if the political crisis might trigger any armed conflict, but it leaves Libya without a unified government, with the main political and military forces bitterly divided and with no clear path forward.
Bashagha’s large cabinet with 35 members reflects the extensive negotiations and promises of positions needed to secure support from a majority of parliament members and the various interests they represent.
A vote had originally been scheduled for Monday, but parliament members were unable until Tuesday to agree upon Bashagha’s cabinet list.
(Reporting by Ayman al-Warfali; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Edmund Blair and Catherine Evans)
