 |
| Libya's Former Prime Minister, Ali Zeidan |
Marie-Louise Gumuchian
CNN
From CNN
Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Libya's parliament voted to oust Prime Minister Ali Zeidan on Tuesday after months of political infighting that has crippled the North African country.
The vote of no-confidence came after rebels in eastern Libya said a tanker loaded with oil from a port under their control escaped a naval blockade and moved into international waters.
The Libyan government said late on Monday that it had control of the North Korean-flagged tanker, Morning Glory, as it tried to leave the Al-Sidra port in eastern Libya, and after having briefly exchanged fire with rebels. However, rebel fighters rejected the assertion.
Oil production, Libya's economic lifeline, has slowed to a trickle since the summer as armed protesters have seized oil ports and fields to press political and financial demands.
They are seeking a greater share of the country's oil revenue, as well as autonomy for eastern Libya.
The conflict over oil wealth is stoking fears Libya may slide deeper into chaos as the fragile government fails to rein in the armed brigades that helped oust Moammar Gadhafi in 2011 but now do as they please.
Zeidan will be replaced temporarily by the defense minister, the state Libyan news agency LANA said. He will hold the position of premier for two weeks until a replacement is picked.
LANA said the General National Congress had passed the dismissal with 124 votes, however it was not immediately clear how many of the nearly 200 lawmakers were present during the session.
Previous attempts to bring down Zeidan, who has headed the government since November 2012, had failed to win the required majority.
Zeidan was himself briefly abducted by former rebel militia in the heart of the capital Tripoli last year.
No comments:
Post a Comment