Mabrouka Toughi, the outgoing Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development in the Government of National Unity, revealed that security obstacles prevented the formal completion of handover procedures with her successor. In a statement posted on her Facebook page, Toughi explained that a military force stationed inside the ministry building had barred her entry for a week, hindering the legal and administrative protocols typically conducted within official headquarters to ensure institutional continuity, as seen in other ministries.
Toughi emphasized that her actions were driven by a commitment to the rule of law rather than a desire to remain in office, highlighting the severe challenges the cultural sector faced during her tenure since March 2021. She noted that the ministry struggled with a lack of adequate financial support and the necessary budgets to develop cultural infrastructure or execute vital activities, such as organizing exhibitions, festivals, book publishing, and training programs—limitations recently acknowledged by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh regarding the sector’s restricted resources.
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Concluding her statement, Toughi praised ministry staff and cultural workers for their perseverance amidst complex administrative and financial conditions, asserting that the ministry’s efforts to serve the intelligentsia remain well-documented. She extended her best wishes to the new minister, Salem Al-Alim, expressing hope that the sector will receive greater priority, particularly in finalizing the “Tripartite Cultural Plan,” a strategic vision developed by the ministry to enhance cultural policies across Libya.