Career
He is reported to have rigged proceedings of the General National Congress while serving as its president He was originally elected to the GNC as member for Zuwarah. He had some support from the Muslim Brotherhood, but stood as an independent candidate.
He has denied strong links with the Muslim Brotherhood.
As a result, he became GNC president on 25 June 2013. He had the support of the Muslim Brotherhood"s party, the Justice and Construction Party, in his election.
Abusahmain immediately set up an Islamist armed group, the LROR, which attempted an Islamist coup in October 2013. He suppressed debates and inquiries which the Islamist part of the GNC did not want, including a debate over his alleged illegal diversion of money towards the LROR. He played a part in the constitutional crisis which emerged when Islamist Ahmed Maiteeq was supposedly elected prime minister in a GNC session in April 2014 which was intimidated by armed Islamist militants bursting into parliament.
Although the Deputy Speaker, Justice Ministry, Supreme Court and opposition parties rejected the proceedings as illegal, Abusahmain signed a decree confirming Maiteeq
His term ended when the new House of Representatives was established on 4 August 2014.
He was succeeded by Abu Bakr Baira, the interim head of new parliament. He was also GNC representative for the Amazigh (ie Berber) town of Zuwarah, in the west of the country.
