Libya's supreme court Monday ruled as unconstitutional the election of premier Ahmed Miitig in a chaotic parliamentary session, ending a month-long political crisis that saw two rival cabinets jostling for power. Miitig said he would respect the ruling, hailing the decision as a "boost for the conservation of the rule of law" in Libya.
The stand-off started when parliament in early May voted Miitig as new premier to replace Abdullah al-Thani, who resigned after an attack on his family. Thani however refused to recognise the parliamentary vote, which came days after gunmen stormed the building to interrupt an earlier ballot. Several liberal lawmakers accused Islamist blocs within the interim parliament of allowing late arrivals at the session to cast their votes after the initial result was announced to make up the 121 votes needed, after Miitig had garnered only 113 votes.
Thani insisted he would await a decision by the judiciary before handing over power. But Miitig convened his first cabinet meeting last week despite Thani's objections, and the two rival premiers disputed power in Tripoli, laying claim to the largely lawless North African nation's huge reserves of oil and gas. On Monday, the Supreme Court issued its ruling. "The court has judged the election of Miitig at the General National Congress (the interim parliament) as unconstitutional," a judge at the court said after a short hearing, without elaborating. Miitig, 42, an independent backed by the Islamists, had been due to lead the country for a short interim period until June 25, when the country is due to hold an election to replace the congress.
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