By Hadi Fornaji.
Tripoli, 1 April 2014:
Members of the General National Congress (GNC) have told the Libya Herald that there is now consensus to remove the President, Nuri Abu Sahmain. There had been growing demands in Congress that he resign over a video circulating on social networks in which he admits to an incident which he had previously denied.
In the video, Abu Sahmain was filmed without his knowledge discussing the incident that took place on 3 January when a group of gunmen forced their way into his Tripoli house in which there were two young women unrelated to him and then took him off for questioning.
“Removing Abu Sahmain is the main topic of discussion,” sources in Congress said today.
“We will change him”, a congressman who asked not to be named told the this paper, adding that Congress members were still angrily discussing the video.
Another, also speaking on a condition of anonymity, said that some Congress members were not opposed to Abu Sahmain remaining in office but that he should not chair sessions while the Attorney-General was investigating the incident.
If Congress votes to remove Abu Sahmain, the first Deputy President Marj Congressman Ezzidden Mohamed Younis Al-Awami automatically takes over. But he too is in hot water over the order to release the three Libyans captured on the Morning Glory tanker. According to sources at Congress, the Attorney-General received a letter from Al-Awami as First Deputy instructing him to release them. It is widely accepted that, if true, Awami did not have the right to make such an order.
Reports that there is consensus in Congress to appoint Omar Sulaiman al-Hassi as Prime Minister have been rigourously denied by all members spoken to. “There is no consensus,” said one. [/restrict]
