The Libyan Supreme Court has issued a ruling today declaring the election of the current parliament, currently operating out of the border town of Tobruk since they lost the capital, as unconstitutional.

The ruling effectively invalidates the seated parliament, adding to questions of who is actually in power, and gives a boost to the self-proclaimed rival parliament, currently in Tripoli, which is backed by the Misrata militia.

The previous elected parliament had extended its terms repeatedly before finally agreeing to the new vote in the face of an attempted coup d’etat by Gen. Khalifa Hifter. Hifter’s forces are now backing the new elected parliament in a war against the Misrata-backed one.

It is unclear, in the wake of this ruling, how a new election could even theoretically be held constitutionally, though the loss of court legitimacy could be the final blow to the Tobruk parliament.