The country’s interim prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, head of the UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNU), is based in Tripoli in western Libya. The parliament building in Tobruk in the east of the country is the seat of a rival government led by Prime Minister Fathi Basag. Libyan media, including LANA, the official news agency of the internationally recognized government, and Almarsad, a leading news outlet, reported that protesters entered the building in Tobruk on Friday. Several cities, including Tripoli, have witnessed protests over deteriorating living conditions and calls for the dissolution of political bodies, the reports said. Videos posted on social media show protesters inside the parliament building chanting “long live Libya”. Other videos showed people picking up trash and tires in front of the building and setting them on fire. The building was empty when the protesters stormed it. Dbeibeh said in a post on Twitter that he supports the demands of protesters across the country. “All [political] The institutions must go, including the government, and there is no way to do that except through elections,” Dbebe said, referring to Basag’s government. “The parties blocking the elections are known to the Libyan people and the same ones that blocked the budgets and cut off the oil, which contributed to the worsening of the livelihood crisis,” he added. Dbaybeh was appointed after UN-brokered talks in Geneva last year. He was tasked with leading the transitional government to an election, but that process ended in disarray late last year over disputes over election rules, including the legality of his candidacy. According to his government, he survived an assassination attempt earlier this year. After elections were postponed in December, Libya’s eastern parliament appointed Bashaga to lead the country. Dbeibah does not recognize Bashaga’s premiership and Bashaga accuses Dbeibah of losing his mandate after the vote was postponed. The GNU Interior Ministry issued a statement on Friday saying that all Libyans have the right to protest as long as the demonstrations are peaceful and “in accordance with the laws”.
