The Libyan parliament ousted Prime Minister Ali Zeidan on Tuesday and named the defence minister as caretaker premier until a permanent replacement has been approved, MPs said.
The vote of no-confidence in Zeidan came after a tanker laden with oil from a rebel-held terminal in eastern Libya broke through a naval blockade and escaped to sea despite his government’s threats to block it by force if necessary.
Ali Zeidan: ousted after ship escapes with Libyan crude
“The Congress voted to withdraw its confidence in the prime minister by 124 votes,” MP Suleiman al-Zubi told AFP.
Defence Minister Abdullah al-Thani was named interim premier for the two weeks that General National Congress now has to agree on a permanent replacement, he added.
Previous attempts to bring down Zeidan had failed to win the required majority of 120 of the GNC’s 194 members.