On 19 December, a large number of people participated in street protests in Misrata denouncing the country’s worsening political, economic, and social conditions. They demanded the dissolution of all existing political bodies, including the House of Representatives (HoR), the High State Council (HSC), and the rival governments in the East and West, accusing all of them of entrenched corruption, deepening division, and catastrophic mismanagement. Protesters highlighted severe hardships facing ordinary Libyans, from soaring prices and the unprecedented rise of the dollar against the dinar to acute cash shortages, fuel‑smuggling networks, and the growing presence of irregular migrants amid fears of their forced resettlement in Libya. They stressed that Libya’s high ranking on global corruption indices reflects a system that benefits narrow elites while citizens struggle with daily survival.
The protesters demanded swift action to end corruption, rebuild legitimate state institutions, and enforce real oversight to curb financial and political chaos. They urged UNSMIL to accelerate the political process toward a unified government and free elections, and called on municipal councils to back popular demands and advance genuine national reconciliation. They also called on the Supreme Judicial Council to hold all those who have harmed Libyans accountable. Demanding a comprehensive change, the crowd claimed that the current political bodies obstruct stability and state‑building. According to them, Libyans now reject all entities that have failed to meet their aspirations. The protesters called on all the Libyan people, including the Army and the police forces, to stand united with the will of the people.
A senior figure from Misrata’s Council of Elders and Notables, Anwar Sawan, delivered a strong denunciation of PM Abdul Hameed Dabaiba’s Government of National Unity (GNU), calling it ‘the most corrupt government Libya has ever seen.’ He accused the GNU of driving large parts of the population into poverty and argued that Libyans have been reduced to rigid social classes. Most citizens endure long ATM queues for minimal cash amid a deepening liquidity crisis, while wealth remains concentrated among a small political elite. Sawan described a society split into privileged circles tied to power and lower tiers struggling to meet basic needs, noting that many families can barely afford meat and public employees face salary delays and collapsing purchasing power. He attributed these conditions to entrenched corruption, mismanagement, and the absence of genuine economic reform.
Among the demonstrators was the infamous militia leader Salah Badi, who demanded that they move on to Tripoli’s Martyrs’ Square in order to overthrow the ‘rule of families’ who sold the country’s goods.
Presidential candidate Suleiman al-Bayoudi said the Misrata demonstration shows the government reshuffle project (announced by Dabaiba on 16 December) is dead on arrival. He described the reshuffle as an attempt to revive an authority that has lost its support base.
On 20 December, in reaction to the protests in Misrata, Grand Mufti al-Sadiq al-Ghariyani said that rebelling against the ruler is not permissible under Sharia law, even if he is corrupt, immoral, or unjust.