Libya’s Eastern Parliament Ousts Longtime Speaker Aguila Saleh After 12 Years

Libya’s eastern-based House of Representatives has voted to replace its long-serving speaker, Aguila Saleh, bringing an end to a 12-year tenure that had increasingly drawn criticism from fellow lawmakers. The legislature, which is based in the eastern city of Benghazi, elected Al-Salhin Abdelnabi al-Obeidi as its new speaker during a session on Tuesday, according to an announcement made by the parliament’s spokesperson on the social media platform X.

The leadership change marks a significant shift in a chamber that has been a central institution in Libya’s fractured political landscape since 2014. The vote to install al-Obeidi came just one day after 98 members of the 170-seat House approved a new system that limits both the speaker and deputy speakers to a single 12-month term. That procedural change effectively dismantled a leadership arrangement that had persisted since the chamber first elected its top officials in 2014.

Lawmakers who supported the change cited mounting frustrations with how the previous leadership had managed parliamentary affairs. Jebree Oheida, a member of the House, told the Reuters news agency that there had been “significant discontent among MPs with the previous leadership over numerous errors.” He explained that legislators had attempted to engage with Saleh’s office to resolve their concerns but found those efforts unsuccessful. Among the grievances Oheida listed were decisions taken without proper consultation of the parliament’s members.

The session that produced the leadership change was overseen by Second Deputy Speaker Misbah Douma, according to the Libya Observer. In addition to electing al-Obeidi as speaker, the House also chose Tarek al-Ashtar and Mesbah Douma to serve as first and second deputy speakers, respectively.

Saleh, however, has refused to accept the legitimacy of the proceedings. According to the Libya Observer, he described the earlier vote to limit the speaker’s term as “not official and had no legal effect.” He had also announced that he was cancelling the session that had been called for Tuesday, a move that appears to have been overtaken by events as legislators proceeded with the vote.

The new speaker, al-Obeidi, hails from the eastern city of Tobruk and belongs to the same tribe as Saleh. Before his election, he chaired parliament’s Libyan-Turkish friendship committee, a role that gave him experience in diplomatic engagement. His elevation to the speakership places him at the center of one of Libya’s two competing power centers.

The political context surrounding the vote is deeply fragmented. Libya remains divided both politically and militarily between the United Nations-recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east that is backed by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar. Haftar’s camp depends heavily on the House of Representatives, which operates under its influence in Benghazi.

Saleh had long been viewed as a steadfast ally of the Haftar family, but analysts suggest his position had been weakening as Haftar’s sons, especially Saddam Haftar, moved to consolidate their authority. Emadeddin Badi, an analyst at the London-based Chatham House, described Saleh as “the latest casualty of Saddam Haftar’s drive to centralise decision-making in eastern Libya and bulldoze his way into a political role.” That assessment points to a broader realignment within the eastern power structure, where familial and military networks increasingly overshadow traditional parliamentary figures.

The change in parliamentary leadership comes amid a wider diplomatic push to resolve Libya’s long-running institutional crisis. In August, representatives of the country’s rival political camps signed what has been described as a landmark agreement in Tripoli that could lead to presidential and legislative elections within two years. The deal was mediated by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, or UNSMIL, and emerged from the so-called “4+4 committee” format that brought together delegates from opposing factions.

That agreement is designed to tackle the recurring legal and institutional disputes that have hampered Libya since the overthrow of longtime ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. For more than a decade, rival authorities have disputed the legitimacy of various governing bodies, complicating efforts to hold national elections and unify state institutions. The House of Representatives itself has been at the center of many of those disputes, with its mandate and decisions frequently contested by the Tripoli-based government and its allies.

Separately, the United States has been pursuing its own reunification plan for the oil and gas-rich North African nation. That effort is being led by Massad Boulos, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs. While details of the American initiative remain distinct from the UN-mediated track, both processes reflect international recognition that Libya’s stability carries consequences for regional energy markets and Mediterranean security.

The removal of Saleh after 12 years in the speaker’s chair could have significant implications for the eastern camp’s internal dynamics and for the broader reunification talks. A new parliamentary leadership may alter the calculus in negotiations with Tripoli, particularly if al-Obeidi chooses to assert greater independence from Haftar-aligned figures or, alternatively, aligns more closely with the evolving power structure around Saddam Haftar. Lawmakers who backed the change framed it as a corrective measure intended to restore accountability and consultation within the chamber.

For ordinary Libyans, the leadership shake-up in Benghazi adds another layer of uncertainty to an already complex political environment. The country continues to grapple with the legacy of civil conflict, divided institutions, and external interventions. Whether the new speaker can bridge internal divisions within the House, manage relations with the Haftar camp, and contribute constructively to the UN-backed election process will be closely watched in the coming months. The vote underscores that Libya’s political landscape remains fluid, with long-entrenched figures increasingly vulnerable to shifting alliances and demands for reform from within their own institutions.