Ageela Saleh, the Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR), has called for an official meeting of the HoR tomorrow. The session will be held in Benghazi.
It will be recalled that the HoR had failed to hold a session in Benghazi on 5 September after it claimed HoR members were prevented from flying out from Tripoli’s Mitiga airport.
In a statement on the claimed incident, HoR Speaker Ageela Saleh had denounced the action saying the incident represents a disruption of parliament’s work and prevented it from carrying out its entrusted duties, in order to achieve stability in the country by holding presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.
Saleh stated that the act is a dangerous precedent that threatens the unity of the country and constitutes a crime of restricting the freedom of citizens, abusing power and obstructing the work of the legislative authority.
He said it proves that Tripoli is a city kidnapped by armed groups supported by the outgoing Aldabaiba government.
Saleh called on the Public Prosecutor to investigate this incident, issue a statement on the results of the investigation, and refer those accused of committing the incident to trial.
Politically exploiting the incident to his advantage, Saleh said HoR decisions will now be taken by a majority of attendees, in appreciation of the public interest and the conditions of the HoR members who were unable to attend the sessions.
A fight for control of the Supreme Court?
Critics of the Aldabaiba government claimed that the Aldabaiba government was behind the incident. They claim Aldabaiba wanted to prevent the HoR appointing a new head of the Supreme Court. It is claimed that Ageela Saleh wants to control the Supreme Court, or stop Aldabaiba from controlling it.
Now that the Constitutional circuit of the court has resumed its activity, Saleh fears that Aldabaiba may influence it to declare many laws passed by the HoR as unconstitutional or unsound. It could render the HoR null and void.
HoR members prevented from flying from Tripoli to today’s Benghazi session (libyaherald.com)