Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh survived an assassination attempt on Thursday where unidentified men opened fire on his car in the capital, Tripoli, according to local media.
The “Libya Al-Ahrar” channel quoted a government source who said on condition of anonymity that “Dbeibeh was the subject of an assassination attempt in Tripoli, where his car was the target of a deluge of bullets aimed directly at him”.
Until 06:35 GMT, the Libyan authorities have issued no official statement in this regard.
Dbeibeh’s assassination attempt could exacerbate the current crisis in Libya, particularly in light of his dispute with Speaker of Parliament Aguila Saleh.
The assassination attempt took place the day after Dbeibeh announced on Wednesday that his government “is continuing its work” and will not authorize a “new phase of transition”. and will not allow the “dominant political class of recent years to prolong its exercise any longer”.
Due to disputes between official Libyan institutions over electoral laws and the role of the judiciary in the electoral process, it was not possible to hold presidential elections on 24 December, as stipulated by the road map in place under the auspices of the United Nations.
So far, no new date has been agreed for the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections, which fuel Libyan hopes for an end to the conflict in the oil-rich country, where General Khalifa Haftar’s militia fought for years during the former internationally recognized National Unity Government.
In the absence of elections, the House of Representatives of the city of Tobruk (east) will hold a session on Thursday to elect a new Prime Minister.
Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh remains, for his part, at the head of the government, as stipulated during the political dialogue forum, which had fixed the mandate of the executive authority of the transition at 18 months, until June 2022, according to the United Nations mission in Libya.
