Libya's Parliament Names New Prime Minister, As Rifts Deepen

Libya's parliament on Thursday appointed former interior minister, Fathi Bashagha to replace Abdelhamid Dbeibah as head of government in a controversial vote, a challenge to interim premier Abdulhamid Dbeibah’s administration.

"The parliament voted unanimously to give confidence to Fathi Bashagha as head of government," parliamentary spokesman Abdallah Bliheq said after a session in the eastern city of Tobruk. The parliament had selected two candidates out of a total of seven: Fathi Bashagha, 59, and the outsider Khaled Al-Bibass, 51, a former senior official in the same ministry.

Before the vote, parliamentary speaker Aguila Saleh, one of the Dbeibah government's main rivals, said that Khaled Al-Bibass had withdrawn his candidacy, leaving Fathi Bashagha alone in the running.