The country’s interim prime minister, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, head of the UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNU), is based in Tripoli in western Libya. The parliament building in Tobruk in the east of the country is the seat of a rival government led by Prime Minister Fati Bashag.
Libyan media, including LANA, the internationally recognized government’s official news agency, and Almarsad, a leading news agency, reported that protesters entered a building in Tobruk on Friday.
Demonstrations were held in several cities, including in Tripoli, against deteriorating living conditions and calls for the dissolution of political bodies, reports said.
Videos posted on social media show protesters inside the parliament building shouting “long live Libya”. Other videos show people picking up rubbish and tires in front of the building and setting them on fire. The building was empty when the protesters stormed it.
Dbeibeh said in a Twitter post that he supported the demands of the protesters across the country.
“All [political] the authorities must leave, including the government, and this cannot be done except through elections,” Dbeibeh said, referring to the Bashag government.
“Parties obstructing the elections are known to the Libyan people and the very ones that blocked the budgets and shut down oil, which contributed to the aggravation of the living crisis,” he added.
After elections were postponed in December, Libya’s eastern parliament appointed Bashaga as leader of the country.
Dbeiba does not recognize Bashaga’s premiership, and Bashaga accuses Dbeiba of losing his mandate after the postponement of the vote.
On Friday, the GNU Home Office released a statement saying all Libyans have the right to protest as long as they are peaceful demonstrations and “in accordance with the laws.”
