HoR: Tripoli is again under militia rule

The Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) Aqila Saleh said that Tripoli is under the control of armed groups, saying the entry to the capital can only be via fighting, or with the consent of those armed groups.

Saleh added in a meeting in Sirte on Tuesday, held to discuss Bashagha government’s budget, that in order to avoid bloodshed, Sirte is the guarantor of the government’s liberation from armed groups.

The HoR Speaker also accused the governor of the Central Bank of Libya – who was absent from the meeting – of violating the laws in force and controlling the financial decision in the state, saying that what the governor was doing could amount to the crime of abuse of power.

Saleh said that the Central Bank should be managed by the board of directors and not by the governor alone, adding that the funds must be preserved and expenditure must be approved by a budget only.

Saleh invited last week the Prime Minister-designate, Fathi Bashagha, and a number of sovereign state institutions, to hold a session at the HoR’s headquarters in Sirte on Tuesday, but the state sovereign institutions’ heads didn’t attend and this made the HoR Speaker say those officials’ institutions operate under the HoR and must abide by its legislation.

He also urged for ending the hindrances that delayed holding elections in last December, saying the HoR is working on drafting a new constitution for Libya to be put for referendum to the Libyan people to lead to elections as soon as possible.