Between Benghazi and Tripoli... Libya's parliament is on the brink of division due to the presidential conflict

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The Libyan parliament is heading towards a new crisis that may lead to the division of its leadership between Benghazi and Tripoli, with the dispute escalating over the legitimacy of its new presidency, as political and military forces in eastern Libya move to install the current leadership, while opponents push for the election of a new president from the capital, Tripoli.

This escalation comes in the wake of the election of Al-Salihin Abdel Nabi as the new Speaker of Parliament, succeeding Aguila Saleh, in a move that raised objections to the legality of the procedures that led to the change of the presidency, and opened the door to counter-moves that threaten to divide the legislative institution.

In response, Member of Parliament Ali Abu Zariba announced, on Monday, the temporary closure of the parliament headquarters in the capital, Tripoli, in preparation for holding new elections for the Presidency, which he expected to be held tomorrow, Tuesday or Wednesday, explaining that the closure of the headquarters came against the backdrop of a court ruling invalidating the presidential elections that took place in Benghazi.

In the face of these movements, Al-Salehin Abdul Nabi intensified his meetings in eastern Libya to strengthen his position, defend the legitimacy of his presidency, and obtain political support from prominent military and political figures in the eastern camp.

In this context, Al-Salehin held meetings with the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Khalifa Haftar, and his deputy, Saddam Haftar, and with the Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces, Khaled Haftar, in addition to the member of the Presidential Council, Musa Al-Koni.

Analysts believe that the essence of the dispute goes beyond the legality of electing Al-Salihin Abdul Nabi as Speaker of Parliament, and extends to the balance of power within state institutions, as the Western Libyan camp fears the military establishment in eastern Libya controlling the decision in Parliament and turning its presidency into a tool to enhance the influence of the Eastern camp in the political decision and direct decisions in its favor.

From this standpoint, we can understand the movements of the opposition representatives in Tripoli, to prevent a political and military party from taking control of the decision within Parliament, in addition to their legal objections to the procedures for electing the Presidency.

As each party moves to consolidate its position, fears are emerging that the dispute will move from a dispute over the presidency of Parliament to a new institutional division, which may complicate political consensus efforts and increase the difficulty of reaching a settlement that ends the state of division in the country.