Libya has been divided between warring factions since 2014, following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising against Moammar Gadhafi.
The country’s interim prime minister, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, the head of the UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNU), is based in Tripoli, in western Libya. The Tobruk Parliament building in the east of the country is home to a rival government led by Prime Minister Fathy Bashag.
Libyan media, including LANA, the internationally recognized official government news agency, and Almarsad, a major news media outlet, reported that protesters entered the Tobruk building on Friday.
Several cities, including Tripoli, have witnessed demonstrations over deteriorating living conditions and are calling for the dissolution of political bodies, according to reports.
Videos posted on social media showed protesters inside the Parliament building shouting “Long live Libya”. Other videos showed people picking up trash and tires in front of the building and setting them on fire. The building was empty when protesters stormed it.
Dbeibeh said in a post on Twitter that he supported the demands of protesters across the country.
“Everyone [political] the bodies have to leave, including the government, and there is no way to do that except through elections, ”Dbeibeh said, referring to Bashag’s government.
“The parties obstructing the elections are known to the Libyan people and the same ones who obstructed the budgets and closed the oil, which contributed to the exacerbation of the living crisis,” he added.
Dbeibeh was named after UN-negotiated talks in Geneva last year. He was tasked with leading the transitional government in the elections, but that process ended in disarray late last year due to disputes over election rules, including the legitimacy of his own candidacy. According to his government, he survived an assassination attempt earlier this year.
Following the postponement of the elections in December, Libya’s eastern parliament appointed Bashaga to lead the country.
Dbeibah does not recognize Bashaga’s position as prime minister, and Bashaga accuses Dbeibah of losing his term after the postponement of the vote.
The GNU Interior Ministry issued a statement on Friday saying that all Libyans have the right to protest as long as they are peaceful demonstrations and “in accordance with the law.”