Ali Dbeibeh, a member of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), has been trying to lure Turkish officials into supporting the government of Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, whose fate in power is threatened by the parliament’s decision to name Fathi Bashagha as new interim leader.
The parliament had chosen former interior minister Bashagha by a vote on Thursday. However, the incumbent, Dbeibeh, has rejected the parliament’s moves, saying he will only relinquish power after a national election.
Bashagha and Dbeibah, both from Misrata and both candidates for the aborted presidential poll, have the support of rival armed groups in the west.
Turkey, which has established a military foothold in Libya since 2019, is yet to announce its official public stance regarding the Libyan parliament’s move to reshuffle the leadership of the interim executive authority.
Ali Dbeibeh, who is a cousin of the incumbent premier, has been trying to sway the Turks in his cousin’s favorite, sources told The Libya Update.
However, the sources revealed that the Turkish officials that he is trying to communicate with have been avoiding him as they refused to take his repeated calls.
According to the sources, Ali Dbeibeh travelled from Misurata to Istanbul on Saturday to meet with Turkish businessmen.
He reportedly asked the businessmen to pressure their government into supporting the premier in exchange for new trade deals with the Libyan government.
The sources declined to reveal the outcomes of Ali Dbeibeh’s meeting with the Turkish businessmen.