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By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 6 August 2013:
Following the resignation of his Deputy Prime Minister Awad Barasi the previous day, and a . . .[restrict]few weeks of intense and increased public criticism, Prime Minister Ali Zeidan again attempted to defend his own personal leadership and his government’s performance at yesterday’s press conference.
However, when asked directly by Libya Herald for his response to Barasi’s resignation remarks that Zeidan centralized decision –making within the cabinet, was responsible in the delay in creating an army and a police and that the government was ineffective, Zeidan chose to answer in a very brief and non combative mode .
“He has the right to resign”, responded Zeidan, before continuing: “We have trained 17,000 in the police and when we saw that local training was not working we planned to train them abroad”, he explained regarding Barasi’s accusation that Zeidan was responsible for delaying the creation of a police force.
To the accusation that the government was ineffective, Zeidan reiterated his oft quoted response: “There is no state in Libya…so it is not only the government that is failed”.
On the third main accusation that Zeidan was dictatorial in decision-making within the Cabinet, Zeidan would not respond directly.
“I have accepted his resignation. I do not want to comment further on this matter”, he concluded.
Deputy Prime Minister Awad Barasi, a member of the Islamist Justice and Construction party, had announced his resignation from the Zeidan government at a press conference, apparently without the courtesy of informing his Prime Minister first.
This led to Zeidan announcing his acceptance of Barasi’s resignation through a press release.
There is speculation as to whether Barasi and his Justice and Construction party are plotting to remove Zeidan, now that Mahmoud Jibril’s National Forces Alliance has withdrawn the “whip”, or its political support, from its members both in the GNC and within government. [/restrict]
