Libya has a new man in charge of the money, but can one appointment fix a country with two governments?

Libya's eastern parliament has just appointed Fawzi Abu Khazam as the new governor of the Central Bank of Libya. The vote was decisive, 78 out of 90 MPs present backed him in their first-ever session in Sebha, after they finally accepted the resignation of Naji Issa.

If this sounds familiar, it is. Libya has been split since 2014 between a UN-recognised government in Tripoli and a rival parliament in the east backed by Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi.

Issa only took the job in 2024 during a massive standoff that literally shut down oil production. Libya pumps 1.2 million barrels a day, that's 95% of state revenue, so when the central bank splits, Libyans can't get cash, salaries are delayed and the dinar crashes. Issa quit in August, saying he “couldn’t continue”, and in October, the bank’s Tripoli headquarters was raided by unidentified men on the very day his resignation was accepted.

This isn’t just politics in Benghazi. The Central Bank controls who gets paid. When governors feud, teachers, nurses and families in Tripoli and Sebha queue for hours at ATMs. A unified bank means a unified budget, stable prices and oil money actually reaching people.

Can the east appoint a governor alone?

Technically no. The governor should be agreed by both chambers, the House of Representatives in the east and the High Council of State in the west. The west hasn’t commented yet.

Will Tripoli accept Abu Khazam, who was already a board member?

Will this unblock the 2026 budget and reunify the bank’s two headquarters?

Watch oil. Any political pushback usually hits production first.

For now, Libya has a new banker, but still two rulebooks. As reported by cbinews.tv.

#Lybia #CentralBankOfLibya #FawziAbuKhazam #LibyaNews #NorthAfrica #OilAndPolitics #CBINewsTV