Abu Asaida criticises Al-Gharyani’s expanding roles
Libya – Libyan political analyst Amr Abu Asaida said that Sadiq Al-Gharyani has for years habitually intervened in the details of the political scene, going beyond his role, in Abu Asaida’s view, to present himself as a political analyst and an expert on military and economic affairs through positions that have stirred controversy inside and outside Libya.
Regional positions and external repercussions
In remarks exclusively to An-Nahar newspaper, Abu Asaida said Al-Gharyani’s positions are no longer limited to Libyan affairs and have extended to Arab and regional issues, citing his recent support for the Houthis against Saudi Arabia as an example.
He argued that Al-Gharyani’s positions embarrass Libya’s official institutions and impose repercussions on the country’s foreign relations.
Reading of his influence and ties to the government
Abu Asaida said the influence Al-Gharyani still enjoys does not rest on popular consensus or official religious legitimacy, but on ideological groups and currents that have rallied around him and provided a political and social cover that, in Abu Asaida’s assessment, has enabled him to keep issuing positions that go beyond the limits of his former role.
Abu Asaida linked the silence of Government of National Unity Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah to political and interest-based calculations, arguing that Dbeibah uses his relationship with this current within power balances and to preserve his political position, even at the expense of the state’s image and foreign relations, in his view.
