New Libyan prime minister sworn in amid opposition
Iran Press TV
Tue May 27, 2014 5:31AM GMT
Ahmed Maiteeq has been sworn in as Libya's new prime minister, amid the rejection of his election by the Libyan opposition.
Maiteeq and his cabinet took oath before the Libyan parliament's speaker Nuri Abu Sahmain on Monday evening.
The parliament elected 42-year-old Maiteeq as the North African country's new prime minister on May 5, 2014, three weeks after the resignation of Abdullah al-Thinni from the position.
Maiteeq's cabinet also won 83 votes of confidence from the 94 lawmakers present in Libya's General National Congress on Sunday.
Meanwhile, objection is made to the election of the new prime minister, especially from forces loyal to renegade General Khalifa Haftar.
Haftar's forces attacked the General National Congress building in the capital, Tripoli. The government said Haftar's loyalists did not have the mandate to carry out the operation, calling it an "attempted coup."
Haftar launched a military offensive in the country's east, saying that he wants to crush the militants and to establish stability in Libya. Haftar's campaign has drawn support from certain high-ranking officials, military officers and soldiers. Thousands of people also held a demonstration in Tripoli and Benghazi on Friday in support of Haftar.
The retired general said the Libyans who rallied in his support have given him a "mandate" to crush the militants in the country.
Nearly three years after the fall of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is still grappling with rising insecurity as the country has been witnessing numerous clashes between government forces and rival militia groups that refuse to lay down arms despite efforts by the central government to impose law and order.
HRM/HJL
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