Libyan premier Ahmed Miitig’s proposed cabinet Sunday won a vote of confidence in the embattled interim parliament, amid an atmosphere of lawlessness aggravated by power struggles between politicians and militias.
Mr Miitig’s cabinet is been due to replace that of Abdullah al-Thani, who resigned last month for security reasons, and as a rogue general gains support for an assault against Islamist militias in the east of the country.
“The vote of confidence was obtained by 83 votes out of 94 lawmakers present,” MP Mohammed Laamari said.
The General National Congress elected Islamist-backed businessman Miitig, 42, in a chaotic vote in early May, days after gunmen stormed the GNC to interrupt an earlier ballot.
He is Libya’s fifth and youngest prime minister since longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 uprising.
Miitig is due to lead a short transitional period until legislative elections are held on June 25, and the new parliament will replace the GNC and form another cabinet.
Sunday’s vote of confidence had been postponed from Tuesday by the GNC at Miitig’s request because he wanted more time to present a government of national unity in a bid to extract the country from a simmering political and security crisis.
The GNC has been unable to hold meetings since May 18, when an armed militia group from the western town of Zintan attacked the parliament building in Tripoli to demand the suspension of the body.
The same group repeated its threat on Saturday, saying that the GNC had no “legitimacy,” forcing the interim parliament to convene Sunday’s meeting in a former royal palace in the capital.
wirestory
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