Libyan eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar has decided to step down from his military role for three months in a bid to take part in the presidential election scheduled later this year, reported Daily Sabah.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Haftar said he had appointed an interim replacement as head of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) until December 24, the date of the legislative and presidential vote.
The Haftar led LNA had waged war on western factions after the country split in 2014, including a 14-month offensive against the federal Libyan government to take Tripoli that was repelled last year.
Earlier this month, Parliamentary speaker Aguila Saleh ratified legislation governing the presidential ballot, which critics say bypassed due process to favor his ally Haftar.
The clause stipulated that military officials may stand in presidential polls, on the condition that they withdraw from their roles three months beforehand and that, if unsuccessful, they will have the option of returning to their military post.
In a statement, Haftar said his replacement General Abdelrazak al-Nadhuri will occupy the functions of General Commander for a period of three months from September 23 to December 24.
In related news, the Libyan parliament on Tuesday passed a no-confidence vote against the Government of National Unity (GNU), dealing a new blow to United Nations-backed peace efforts and plans for the December ballot. The new unity government came to power early this year to lead the country until the December elections.
A total of eighty-nine lawmakers out of 113, who attended the lower house session in Tobruk, voted to withdraw confidence from the Tripoli-based administration of interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, Libyan spokesman Abdallah Bliheq said.
But an upper house based in the capital rejected the vote, saying it violated established procedures, laying bare once more the extent of divisions between the country’s east and west.
