Libya's government says the Interim Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni has declined a parliamentary mandate to form a new government and will instead step down after receiving death threats against him and his family, according to CNN.
Al-Thinni announced Sunday on the interim government website that he was leaving his post, but would stay on as head of the Cabinet until a replacement could be found, CNN reported. He said that he had made his decision in the interest of the country and because of an armed attack on him and his family Saturday.
Thinni was appointed earlier this month as interim prime minister with a mandate for just a few weeks, CNN reported. It was extended by the GNC last week on condition that he formed a new government in an attempt to bring some stability.
The Libyan government has been in turmoil since the overthrow of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, according to CNN. The previous prime minister resigned on March 11.
In a letter sent to the General National Congress and published on the government website, Thinni 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," CNN reported.
"I have decided therefore to present my apologies as I cannot accept this temporary position," the letter said, without giving details about the incident, according to CNN.
If his resignation is accepted, the GNC must appoint another premier, CNN reported. The legislature is unpopular with many Libyans who say it has failed to advance a transition to democracy.
A spokesman for the prime minister's office said no one had been injured in the attack, which he described as a "near miss" outside Thinni's family home, CNN reported.
With no real national army, OPEC member Libya is struggling with its transition to democracy as the brigades of former rebels who once fought Gaddafi refuse to disarm and often challenge the state's authority, according to CNN.
The GNC voted out Thinni's predecessor, Ali Zeidan, after he failed to end a crisis with federalist rebels who had occupied three vital oil ports for months, CNN reported. Thinni's government reached an agreement with them to reopen the ports.
Zeidan, who himself was briefly abducted by a militia last year, fled to Europe after he was removed from his post, according to CNN. He had often complained of being unable to govern because of political rivalries and pressure from militias.
