Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh | |
|---|---|
عبدالحميد محمد الدبيبة | |
.jpg) Dbeibeh in 2024 | |
| 28thPrime Minister of Libya[b] | |
| Assumed office 15 March 2021[a] | |
| President | Mohamed al-Menfi |
| Deputy | Hussein Al-Qatrani |
| Preceded by | Fayez al-Sarraj(as Chairman of thePresidential Council) |
| Minister of Defense | |
| Assumed office 15 March 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Salah Eddine al-Namroush |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
Acting | |
| Assumed office 3 September 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Najla El Mangoush Fathallah al-Zani(Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Abdul Hamid Muhammad Abdul Rahman al-Dbeibeh |
| Political party | Libya Future[2] |
| Spouse | Amina el-Shawush |
| Children | 5 |
| Signature |  |
Abdul Hamid Muhammad Abdul Rahman al-Dbeibeh[3] (Arabic:عبدالحميد محمد عبدالرحمن الدبيبة, alsotransliterated asDbeibah) is a Libyan politician and businessman who is theprime minister ofLibya under the internationally recognisedGovernment of National Unity (GNU) inTripoli. Dbeibeh was appointed on 15 February 2021 through theLibyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), and he was expected to hold the office untilelections on 24 December 2021, which were later postponed.[4]
Dbeibeh was born in the western city ofMisrata.[1] Dbeibeh claimed to have earned aMaster's degree in civil engineering from theUniversity of Toronto in 1992; however, the university has denied Dbeibeh's claims.[5][6][7] The information was published days prior to the 24 December 2021 Libyan elections, thus raising controversy over the Presidential candidate's false claims and fabrications in relation to his educational credentials.[8] Under the Libyan electoral law, candidates are required to have a university degree from an accredited university.[7]
Dbeibeh returned to Misrata during a construction boom, gaining the trust of Libyan leaderMuammar Gaddafi, who appointed him as the head of Libyan Investment and Development Company (LIDCO), a major construction firm responsible for some of the country's biggest public works projects, including the construction of 1,000 housing units in the leader's hometown ofSirte.[1] After Gaddafi's fall in 2011, he was sanctioned for corruption by Libya's new transitional government.[9]
Dbeibeh was the manager of theAl-Ittihad Football Club.[10]
In 2020, he founded Libya al-Mustakbal (Libya Future) Movement. Al-Dabaiba campaigned jointly on the presidential ticket withMohamed al-Menfi andMusa Al-Koni as vice president. Al-Dabaiba's government is the first unified government since 2014.[11]Dbeibeh was elected asPrime Minister of Libya to lead a temporary unified executive in February 2021. Dbeibeh's list obtained 39 votes, five more than that ofAguila Saleh Issa andFathi Bashagha.[12] Dbeibeh faced accusations that he had attempted to bribe some of the delegates at the LPDF via his cousin, the wealthy businessman Ali al-Dbeibeh.[13] The list including Aguila Saleh and Fathi Bashagha was perceived to be favoured by theUnited States of America.[by whom?] The US ambassador denied any attempt to influence the electoral process.[14]
Dbeibeh was required under the agreements made by the LPDF to nominate acabinet of ministers and propose the selection to theHouse of Representatives (HoR) for a vote of confidence by 26 February 2021, which was expected to establish theGovernment of National Unity.[15]
His position has been contested since 10 February 2022, afterFathi Bashagha was selected too as prime minister by theLibyan House of Representatives. However, Dbeibeh rejected Bashagha's appointment as prime minister, stating that he will only hand power after a national election.[16]Khalifa Haftar and hisLibya National Army welcomed Bashagha's appointment.[17] On 10 February 2022, he survived an assassination attempt when assailants fired bullets into his car. According to a government source close to him, he was unharmed amid intense factional wrangling for government control.[18] TheUnited Nations continues to recognize Dbeibeh as interim prime minister.[19] In January 2024, Dbeibeh called for the restoration of theLibyan monarchy underMohammed El Senussi as a solution to the instability in the country.[20]
He is the cousin and brother in law ofAli Ibrahim Dabaiba, previously the mayor of Misrata and head of state-owned development contractor LIDCO during theGaddafi era, who was in 2012 on a list of sanctioned officials, subject of anInterpol red notice and arrested in 2014. He is estimated to have embezzled as much as $7 billion at 2011 rates from contracts LIDCO had issued under his leadership, perSuisse secrets.[9][21]
Wolfgang Pusztai, a formerAustrian diplomat based in Libya, said that Dbeibeh's reputation was contentious for the prime ministership, since he was alleged to be involved in "corruption, money laundering, financing of theMuslim Brotherhood, vote buying". Pusztai felt that the truth of the claims was irrelevant to the political situation of 2021, since it was the perceptions that counted.[1]
| Kingdom of Libya (1951–1969) |  .svg) .svg) .svg) | ||||
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| Libya under Gaddafi (1969–2011) |
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| Transitional period (2011–present) | |||||
Italics indicate acting officeholder | |||||