Libya elects new head of higher council of state

TRIPOLI, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Higher Council of the State of Libya on Sunday elected Khaled al-Meshri, a leader of the Justice and Building Party of the Muslim Brotherhood, as the new head of the council, replacing Abdarrahman Swehli.

"Today's session was dedicated to the election of a new head of the council, according to the internal regulations that stipulate that a new head of the council should be elected each year," council member Musa Faraj told Xinhua.

The Higher Council of the State is the highest consultative body in Libya, appointed based on the UN-sponsored political agreement signed by the Libyan parties in 2015 to end the country's political division.

However, the country is still suffering a political crisis as the political agreement has not been implemented yet due to objections by the Libyan factions to certain articles related to the executive authority.

"115 members participated in the voting session. Khalid al-Meshri received 64 votes, while 45 votes went to Abdarrahma Swehli, with 6 abstentions," Faraj added.

51-year-old Khalid al-Meshri, who is from the western city of Zawiya, was a member of the outgoing General National Congress.

He was the chairman of the conference's finance committee and a member of the national security committee.

Al-Meshri is a leading figure in the Justice and Building Party of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya. Enditem