Sources from Tobruk said some House of Representatives (HoR) members were threatened and gunshots were fired near the headquarters where the session to vote on the government’s budget was held on Tuesday, in addition to statements by some members saying they feared for their lives if the budget bill was passed.

The spokesman for the HoR Abdullah Blehiq said discussions about passing the 2021 budget bill were suspended on Tuesday until after Eid Al-Adha holiday - after July 24 - to get a full quorum for the voting.

The member of the parliament, Asma Al-Khouja, said gunshots were fired near the session headquarters in Tobruk and that they heard threats made to several members outside.

Al-Khouja said they had heard intentions not to pass the budget from the start of the session and the legislative committee had conditioned the voting to 120 present members, knowing that the committee knew there were only 80 ones.

She added that if the budget was approved, HoR members could have been hurt and that most members were frustrated and decided not to attend any session in the future.

HoR spokesman Abdullah Bliheq denied that there was a shooting near the headquarters.