Not long following Mohammed al-Barghathi's resignation, the government announced that he had changed his mind after Prime Minister Ali Zeidan asked him to stay on. Militiamen, mostly former rebels who fought to oust Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, have surrounded the justice and foreign ministries since last week, demanding that no official who served under the former dictator be allowed to serve in the current government. Al-Barghathi had served under Gadhafi.

"The chief of the government asked the defense minister to rescind, and the minister said he understands, given the circumstances the country is going through, that he should continue in office," a statement said.

Despite a law passed on Sunday that would prohibit former senior Gadhafi officials from holding a government post, the protesters have not abated, which led to al-Barghathi stepping down. The law is expected to take effect in a month and could have wide-reaching implications for public servants like al-Barghathi, an air force commander under Gadhafi.

"I will never be able to accept that politics [can] be practiced by the power of weapons," Barghathi said. "This is an assault against the democracy I have sworn to protect."

‘Integrity commission'

Many current officials served in posts long before Gadhafi fell in 2011, yet some were also instrumental in bringing about the revolution that led to his ouster. Parliamentary spokesman Omar Humeidan said a committee will review how the new law affects current senior officials.

The committee will be composed of judges and rights activists already serving on an "integrity commission" that vetted cabinet ministers for ties with Gadhafi. That body will be dissolved and the new commission will take on more members, Humeidan said.

Initially, the gunmen intended to pressure the country's highest authority to adopt the law on political exclusion. However, they remained camped outside the ministries despite the adoption of the legislation, with some of them now calling for the resignation of Zeidan's government.

Still a siege

On Tuesday, a dozen vehicles armed with anti-aircraft guns and rocket-launchers were still parked in front of the foreign ministry, the news agency AFP reported. Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani told the news agency that officials from his department would not return to work "as weapons are still there."

"If this siege continues, we will study the possibility of moving the department to another district or another, more secure city," Marghani said.

Separately, members of the National General Congress said that the body had sacked army chief of staff General Yusef al-Mangoush, who has long been accused of delaying the formation of a proper military. Other deputies said Mangoush would stay on for another month until a replacement is named.

mkg/ccp (AFP, Reuters)