TRIPOLI, Libya — Libya's parliament has passed a no-confidence vote in the newly-elected prime minister, removing him from his post. Mustafa Abushagur had until Sunday to form a Cabinet or risk losing his job. His initial list of ministers was criticized for not being diverse enough. Abushagur was Libya's first elected prime minister after last year's overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The General National Congress (GNC) voted 125 versus 44 in favor of removing him as prime minister. Earlier Abushagur proposed to the GNC a “crisis government” of just 10 ministers, after it rejected outright his first proposed line-up. “In face of the dangers threatening the country, I present to you a crisis government restricted to 10 ministers, rejecting all geographical considerations,” the premier told the 200 members of the country's national assembly. Abdessalem Jadallah Al-Salihin, a colonel under the toppled regime of Gaddafi who defected and led the rebellion in the east against the late dictator, was put forward as defense minister. The premier also proposed police general and lawyer Ashur Shwayel for the interior ministry. The GNC, which late Thursday rejected Abushagur's first proposed line-up, gave him 72 hours to build consensus and deliver an amended cabinet list. A Congress source told Libya Herald Wednesday that when NFA Congressman Ibrahim Al-Ghariani first saw the cabinet list, he tore the paper up and threw it at Abushagur in a fit of rage. — Agencies
