— Tripoli (AFP)
Libya's western-based upper house on Saturday defended a decision by lawmakers in the country's east to designate a new prime minister as institutional chaos reigns.
The High Council of State (HCS) -- a Tripoli-based body that is equivalent to a senate -- usually rivals the House of Representatives (HoR), based in the eastern city of Tobruk.
The HoR this week "unanimously approved" former interior minister Fathi Bashagha to head the government, a move that left Libyans with two prime ministers and threatened to spark a new power struggle in the war-torn nation.
But HCS head Khaled el-Mechri on Saturday appeared to transcend the country's usual east-west divide and distance himself from the Tripoli executive.
