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Senior west Libya figure defends naming of new PM

Vehicles of military brigades loyal to the Libyan unity government headed by Abdulhamid Dbeibah arrive from neighbouring towns to the capital Tripoli
— 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.

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