oluwatosin oyeniyi BENGHAZI, Libya — Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives has removed its longtime speaker, Aguila Saleh, ending his 12-year tenure and ushering in a new parliamentary leadership amid shifting power dynamics in the country’s divided east.
Lawmakers elected Al-Salhin Abdelnabi al-Obeidi as the new speaker during a session in Benghazi on October 6. The move followed a vote the previous day in which 98 lawmakers approved amendments to the parliament’s internal rules, including a provision limiting the speaker and deputy speakers to renewable 12-month terms.
The leadership change comes at a sensitive moment for Libya, where rival political institutions continue to divide authority between the east and west while international efforts seek to establish a unified political process and pave the way for long-delayed elections.
End of a 12-Year Parliamentary Era
Saleh became speaker when the House of Representatives was established in 2014 and remained one of the most influential political figures in eastern Libya throughout the country’s prolonged political crisis.
His departure follows growing dissatisfaction among lawmakers over the way the parliament was being run.
Some MPs accused Saleh of making decisions without adequate consultation and of obstructing efforts to reform the chamber’s internal rules. Eighty-six lawmakers had earlier accused him of preventing MPs from entering parliament’s headquarters and from holding sessions on proposed reforms.
Saleh, however, rejected the process that led to his removal. He argued that the October 5 session was unofficial and that its decisions had no legal effect, raising the possibility of further disputes over the legitimacy of the new leadership.
Al-Obeidi Takes Over
Al-Obeidi, who represents Tobruk in eastern Libya, previously chaired the House’s Libyan-Turkish Parliamentary Friendship Committee and sits on its Foreign Affairs Committee.
In his first remarks after taking office, he described Libya’s future as a shared responsibility and called for the country’s interests to take precedence over individual political differences.
The House also elected Tarek al-Ashtar as first deputy speaker and Misbah Douma as second deputy speaker, creating a new parliamentary leadership team.
The new rules mean the leadership of the chamber will now operate under a rotating system, with the speaker and deputies limited to 12-month terms.
A Shift Within Eastern Libya
Saleh’s removal is also being viewed through the lens of changing power relations within eastern Libya.
Saleh has long been associated with military commander Khalifa Haftar, whose forces control much of eastern Libya. In recent years, however, Haftar’s sons, particularly Saddam Haftar, have taken on increasingly prominent political and military roles.
Some analysts see Saleh’s removal as evidence of this changing balance.
Chatham House analyst Emadeddin Badi described Saleh as the latest casualty of what he characterised as Saddam Haftar’s efforts to centralise decision-making in eastern Libya. That interpretation remains an analyst’s assessment rather than an officially stated reason for the parliamentary change.
Haftar has nevertheless welcomed the parliamentary reforms and expressed support for the new leadership.
Libya’s Wider Political Divide
The leadership change cannot be separated from Libya’s broader institutional division.
The country remains split between the internationally recognised Government of National Unity, based in Tripoli and led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, and a rival eastern administration backed by Haftar and the House of Representatives.
The division has persisted despite years of UN-backed mediation and repeated attempts to organise national elections.
In August, representatives of Libya’s rival political camps signed an agreement at the UN mission’s headquarters aimed at addressing institutional and electoral disputes and creating a path towards presidential and parliamentary elections within two years.
The change in parliamentary leadership therefore comes as international mediators are trying to prevent further institutional fragmentation.
UN Mission Welcomes New Leadership
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said it had followed the parliamentary sessions and confirmed that at least 102 members participated in the October 5 session, with 98 voting for the rule changes.
At least 111 lawmakers participated in the following day’s session in which the new parliamentary presidency was elected.
UNSMIL said it would engage with the new leadership and all members of the House as it continues supporting a political roadmap aimed at unifying Libya’s institutions, addressing key reforms and holding elections.
The UN’s response indicates that the immediate priority is not simply who occupies the speaker’s chair, but whether the institutional changes can contribute to a broader political settlement.
What the Change Means for Libya
The removal of Saleh could alter political relationships within the eastern camp, but it does not by itself resolve Libya’s wider political deadlock.
The new leadership faces the challenge of maintaining parliamentary cohesion while participating in negotiations aimed at unifying the country’s rival institutions.
Its approach to the UN-backed political roadmap, electoral legislation and relations with the western authorities will be closely watched.
For Libya, the broader test remains whether institutional changes can be translated into a credible political process capable of bringing the country’s competing authorities together.
After more than a decade in the speaker’s chair, Saleh’s departure marks a notable change inside eastern Libya. Whether it becomes part of a wider effort to reunify the country or another episode in its prolonged struggle over political authority will depend on what follows.
