Libyan Prime Minister Backpedals on Resignation

Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni announced Monday he wouldn't be resigning, a week after he said he would step down during a live television interview.

Thinni's spokesperson told AFP, “The prime minister didn’t submit his resignation. He backed down from his previous announcement.”

The prime minister had previously stated he would present his resignation to Libya's internationally recognized parliament over the weekend. The sudden announcement was made during a heated television interview on private broadcaster Libya Channel.

“People do not need to protest against me because I officially resign from my position. They can bring a new prime minister with magic to solve all the problems,” he said after being pounded with a barrage of tough questions on the state of Libya.

Following the interview, the government downplayed Thinni's unexpected announcement.

“The prime minister has not resigned officially. He said ... he would resign if the street demands it,” cabinet spokesperson Hatem al-Arabi told Reuters at the time.

"A resignation needs to be handed in writing to the House of Representatives, which would accept or reject it," Arabi said.

The incident was the second time Thinni has vowed to resign. After his family was attacked in April 2014, he said he would leave office, though he changed his mind shortly later. Since then, Thinni's government has been battered with a series of setbacks.

In August 2014, the prime minister and his cabinet were forced to flee Libyan capital Tripoli, after a coalition of rebel militias descended on the city.

The troubled North African state is now divided between the remnants of Thinni's government in the east and a rival administration, the General National Congress in Tripoli.

RELATED: Libya 2011 War: Before and After