Libya’s eastern parliament has appointed Naji Mohamed Issa Belqasem as the new governor of the central bank, following the dismissal of former governor Sadiq al-Kabir last month by the presidential council in Tripoli.
Parliament spokesperson Abdullah Bliheg announced on Monday that all 108 lawmakers voted in favor of Belqasem’s appointment. Prior to this role, Belqasem served as the central bank’s director of banking and monetary control.
In addition to the governor, the parliament also appointed Mari Muftah Rahil Barrasi as deputy governor. Belqasem and Barrasi are expected to establish a new board of directors for the central bank within 10 days.
This decision is part of a U.N.-facilitated agreement between the parliament and the High Council of State, aimed at appointing new leadership for the country’s central bank.
Last month, the presidential council in Tripoli—aligned with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government, which controls western Libya—issued a decree naming Mohamed Abdul Salam al-Shukri, the former deputy governor, as a replacement for al-Kabir.
However, the eastern parliament and the Supreme Council of State, an advisory body based in Tripoli, deemed the removal of al-Kabir illegitimate. They argued that such a decision should have been made in coordination with both bodies, in line with interim regulations established during U.N.-backed discussions to ensure the unity of Libya’s institutions.
Sadiq al-Kabir had held the position of central bank governor since October 2011, following the chaos that erupted in Libya after a NATO-backed uprising led to the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi, who ruled the country for over four decades.
In the months leading up to his dismissal, al-Kabir faced criticism from officials on both sides of Libya’s political divide over his management of the country’s oil revenues.
(AP)
