Libya: High Council Rejects Budget Approved by Eastern ParliamentLibya: High Council Rejects Budget Approved by Eastern Parliament The High Council of State (HSC) in Tripoli has rejected a budget approved by the House of Representatives (parliament) in the eastern part of Libya. The HSC warns that the budget could lead to further distribution and waste of public funds. The rejection was conveyed in a letter from HSC Chief Mohamed Takala to House Speaker Aguila Saleh in Benghazi. The House approved the budget in two separate sessions, totaling 88 billion Libyan dinars ($18.5 billion). The budget was allocated for the Benghazi-based government of Osama Hamad, which is allied with military commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east and parts of the south. The HSC criticized the budget’s size, calling it “an unprecedented amount.” Libya has been divided since a 2014 split between warring factions in the east and west. Tripoli is controlled by a government of national unity led by interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, while Haftar’s forces hold the east and parts of the south. The House of Representatives was elected in 2014, while the HSC was formed as part of a 2015 political agreement. The HSC has an advisory role and a say in important political issues. The HSC stressed in its letter that the budget is “illegal” and called on all relevant parties to challenge any laws enacted by the House that are contrary to the law.
The High Council of State (HSC) in Tripoli on Thursday rejected a budget approved by parliament in the country’s east, warning of further distribution and waste of public money.
The rejection came in a letter from Council Chief Mohamed Takala to House Speaker Aguila Saleh in Benghazi, sent to journalists by the Council’s media office.
The House approved the budget in two separate sessions: in late April for 90 billion Libyan dinars ($18.5 billion) and on Wednesday for 88 billion Libyan dinars.
The budget is earmarked for the Benghazi-based government of Osama Hamad, who came to power in March 2023 and is allied with military commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east and large parts of Libya’s southern region.
The Council warned against what it described as “the persistence of the House of Representatives in its transgressions and the management of public affairs as it sees fit, which will only lead to more divisions.”
A budget of approximately 179 billion Libyan dinars “is an unprecedented amount”, the Council said.
Libya has been largely at peace since the NATO-backed uprising against Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. In 2014, the country split into warring eastern and western factions.
Tripoli is home to a government of national unity, led by interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, installed in 2021 through a UN-backed process.
The House of Representatives was elected in 2014, while the Supreme State Council was formed as part of a 2015 political agreement and was composed of a parliament elected in 2012.
The Council is an advisory body and, under the 2015 political agreement, has a say in important political issues.
The Council stressed in the letter that it “completely rejects the proposal adopted in the House of Representatives session… and considers it to have no legal effect.”
It also called on all relevant parties to “challenge any law enacted by the House of Representatives that is contrary to the law”.
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