Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh is out of office but much of what will happen depends on his next move.

A few days ago the questions were whether Dbeibeh could hang on to power a little longer and what could happen if he is forced out. Now the House of Representatives (HoR) has had its way and replaced him with his fellow Misratan Fathis Bashaga, a former interior minister and sworn enemy of many lawmakers including speaker Aqila Saleh. It was clear that the HoR was heading toward removing Dbeibeh, deciding in a Feb. 7 session to replace the premier after less than a year in office. Bashaga now has two weeks to form a government.

Dbeibeh has been a divisive figure since he was elected prime minister last March in a UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Right after, some members of the 74-LPDF accused Dbeibeh of bribing other members to gain their support. 

In November 2020, in the earlier days of the LPDF's working sessions in Tunisia, some 60 members wrote to the UN secretary general asking him to urgently investigate the bribery claims. The UN's acting envoy to Libya, Stephanie Williams, acknowledged receiving the request and confirmed that it had been referred to the UN Libya Sanctions Committee.