Libya’s HCS president against naming new PM

CAIRO - Libya's president of the High Council of State (HCS) Khalid al-Mishri said in a statement early on Wednesday that the Libyan parliament's assigning a prime minister before holding an official session of the High Council is an "improper measure and doesn't help in building confidence between the two councils."

Libya's Parliament spokesman on Thursday declared Fathi Bashagha as the new interim prime minister after a rival candidate withdrew, but it was not clear if the chamber had held a vote.

The incumbent, Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, has said he does not recognise Parliament's attempt to remove him, and that his government remains valid and he will not step down.