Interim prime minister Abdullah al-Thinni [Al-Thani, al-Thanay] (pictured) has declined a parliamentary mandate to form a new government and has announced that he will step down, but will stay on as head of the Cabinet until a replacement could be found.
In his resignation letter, the former defense minister said he and his family had been victim of a "cowardly attack" and he could not "accept to see any violence because of my position", adding that he made his decision “to protect the interests of the country and so as not to drag different sides into fighting when there can be no winner.”
Thinni was appointed in March after the General National Congress (GNC) voted out his predecessor, Ali Zeidan [Zidan] who had failed to end a standoff with rebels who were occupying vital oil ports.
The GNC will decide whether to accept Thinni's resignation at its next session on Tuesday.
(Sources: Associated Press, Reuters)
