Libya’s Dbeibah hits back at parliament over no-confidence threat

Libyan leader says the eastern-based parliament’s failure to vote on state budget is delaying his administration’s work.

Libya’s interim prime minister has pushed back against parliament’s threats to withdraw confidence from his unity government, as a burgeoning rift raises fears over the continuing peace process to end years of war. Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who took office in March, said the eastern-based parliament’s reasons for not approving his repeated budget proposals were “unrealistic and flimsy” and blamed the body for hindering planned December elections. The budget dispute has emerged as a core element in the growing friction between rival political factions that has undermined a United Nations-backed process, which had been seen as the best chance at peace in years.