Haftar’s backing for the American initiative and the 4+4 agreement has narrowed the space for obstruction within eastern Libya. House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Agila Saleh could be the first casualty, although concerns about what follows his removal continue to divide the LNA’s leadership.
House Deputy Speaker Musbah Douma announced on October 5th that he had secured a quorum of around 100 House members and successfully held a vote to change the House’s rules and procedures, paving the way for a vote to replace Saleh. Douma also announced that the House would suspend meetings until next week, directly going against Saleh’s call for a session on October 6th. As a result, Saleh could face an attempt to remove him as early as today.
All of these developments followed a meeting last week in which Khalifa Haftar made clear that support for the American initiative and the 4+4 agreement was no longer negotiable within his camp.
The meeting brought together around 70 MPs, including both supporters and opponents of Saleh. Haftar did not explicitly instruct them to remove the speaker. Instead, he drew a political line: the Libyan National Army (LNA) fully supports the process, and anyone working against it is positioning themselves against the LNA.
The message extended beyond the MPs present. It was also directed at Saleh, Haftar’s own son Belqasim, and Egypt, whose respective positions have complicated efforts to bring eastern Libya behind the agreement. Haftar’s intervention was intended to establish that all sides must now work in the same direction.
During the meeting, Haftar questioned why the HoR remained so divided and why opposition to the process persisted. MPs from both camps, including those who favour keeping Saleh in office, identified the speaker and Egyptian interference as obstacles to progress on the 4+4 agreement.
That convergence does not mean there is agreement on removing Saleh. It does, however, suggest that frustration with his handling of the process extends beyond those already seeking his replacement, and Khalifa Haftar’s recent meeting with Douma indicated the LNA’s willingness to hear Saleh’s replacement.
A partnership under strain
Tensions between Saleh and the LNA are hardly new. Their relationship has repeatedly been tested by competing ambitions and disagreements over how eastern Libya should negotiate with its rivals. When pushed, however, both generally return to supporting one another, recognising that they each need each other for political legitimacy and support. Neither would have reached their current position without the other.
