Libyan Parliament names new PM

dpa Tripoli The Libyan parliament on Thursday named a new prime minister, replacing a defiant incumbent premier, a step that could deepen divisions in the ...

dpaTripoliThe Libyan parliament on Thursday named a new prime minister, replacing a defiant incumbent premier, a step that could deepen divisions in the conflict-ridden country.Libya has been in turmoil since long-time ruler Moamer Gaddafi was toppled in 2011 and has become a battleground for rival proxy forces, drawing in foreign powers.A presidential election, seen as crucial for re-establishing stability in the oil-rich country, did not take place as scheduled in December amid wrangling among rivals on electoral rules.No new date has been set for the long-awaited polls.On Thursday, the parliament unanimously voted to name Fathi Bashagha as the new prime minister, the assembly’s spokesman Abdullah Bilheg said in a tweet without providing any further details. Bashagha previously served as an interior minister.Earlier this week, Libya’s interim Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibeh vowed that his government would remain in power until a new administration is elected.“We will not allow new transitional stages and will not retreat in our role in the government as we have pledged before the people until the elections are held,” he said in a televised address on Tuesday.Dbeibeh’s interim government took office in March after it was elected in a United Nations-brokered process with the aim of leading Libya until the December polls that did not take place.The election is part of a UN-backed plan to end a decade of chaos in Libya.