Aguila Saleh has been removed from the presidency of the Libyan parliament after 12 years leading the legislative body, marking a potential shift in the balance of power in the nation's eastern region.
Members of the assembly voted on Tuesday to elect As Salin Abdelnabi al Obaidi, a lawmaker representing the northeastern coastal city of Tobruk, as his successor. A parliamentary spokesman confirmed the election outcome in a statement posted on X.
The departure of 82-year-old Saleh ends a lengthy tenure at the head of the assembly based in Benghazi, where he had served as president since 2014. In recent months, lawmakers had reportedly grown increasingly dissatisfied with his leadership, accusing him of abuses of power and calling for his resignation.
Saleh was long regarded as a key political ally of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the military commander whose forces control eastern Libya and expansive territories across the south. However, analysts note that Saleh had seen his political influence weaken significantly in recent months.
Shift in eastern Libya's power balance
The change in leadership coincides with a broader consolidation of control by Field Marshal Haftar's sons within the eastern administration. In particular, Saddam Haftar has been positioned as his father's designated political heir, expanding his authority across regional political and security structures.
Emad Badi, a senior researcher at the Chatham House international affairs think tank in London, said on Monday that Saleh appeared to be the latest casualty of Saddam Haftar's efforts to centralize power in eastern Libya and forcefully establish a leading political role for himself.
The parliamentary vote also occurs alongside a renewed diplomatic push by the United States aimed at restarting political talks and unifying Libya's divided governing institutions. The initiative has generated widespread debate among political factions across the country.
Diplomatic efforts and divided administration
According to media reports, Saddam Haftar has shown openness toward the United States initiative, which observers suggest could further solidify his political standing. In contrast, Saleh had maintained a far more cautious stance regarding the proposed unification process.
Libya has remained fractured and plagued by instability since the 2011 uprising that led to the overthrow and death of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi. The North African nation is divided between rival governance structures competing for legitimacy and control.
The United Nations-recognized Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, operates out of the capital city of Tripoli in the west. The rival administration based in the east relies on the backing of Field Marshal Haftar, his family, and the Benghazi parliament now headed by Abdelnabi al Obaidi.
