TRIPOLI – Libya’s interim parliament on Monday elected Ahmed Maitiq as the country’s new prime minister, the parliament’s Second Deputy Secretary, Saleh Makhzoom, said.
“Ahmed Maitiq is now officially the new prime minister,’’ Makhzoom said in a short speech following the General National Congress session where Maitiq received 121 votes.
However, Matiq was tasked with forming a new government within two weeks.
“I swear I will be committed and honestly carry out my duties,’’ Matiq said, thanking the ministers as he was sworn in.
Report says Maitiq, a 42-year-old businessman from Libya’s third largest city Misrata, initially received only 113 votes, falling short of the 120 votes needed.
The report added that after a short break in the chaotic parliamentary session, he received the eight additional votes necessary to secure his post.
Some lawmakers raised doubts about the legitimacy of the voting process, expressing their discontent and interrupting the process by shouting.
Meanwhile, voting was scheduled for April 29, but dozens of gunmen stormed the parliament preventing the ministers from voting for a new prime minister and adjourning the session until Sunday.
Maitiq would take the place of Abdullah Thinni, who resigned in April after he and his family were assaulted and threatened by militants.
The political deadlock the North African country is witnessing emerged following the 2011 uprising which toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Libya’s weak central government has not been able to establish effective control of the whole country, making the oil-rich nation an arena for militias, extremists and international powers. (Xinhua/NAN)
