Ali Aujali Will Not be Foreign Minister

Ali Aujali never took the oath of office to become foreign minister on 9 December after approval from the Integrity Commission, and he has now resigned for unspecified personal reasons. Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan has not yet announced a replacement; he and Minister for International Cooperation Muhammad Abdulaziz are currently handling the portfolio. It is also not known who will succeed Ali Aujali as Libyan Ambassador to the U.S., or whether he will return to Washington. Ali Aujali was always a controversial choice for foreign minister after his 42 years of diplomatic service under the Qadhafi regime and arguably weakening effectiveness as Ambassador in Washington.

His resignation was given to the General National Congress by the Prime Minister yesterday, Sunday. It is reported that Zeidan informed Congress that the reasons for the resignation were personal. However, no statement has been made by Aujali himself and it has not been possible to contact him.