Libyan prime minister ousted by parliament

TRIPOLI. KAZINFORM - Libya's parliament has forced out the prime minister in a vote of no confidence, a move prompted by a crisis this week when a militia controlling an eastern port defied Tripoli's authority by trying to sell oil.

The chamber named the defence minister as an interim prime minister until a replacement for Ali Zeidan is found.

The vote of confidence followed the standoff between the central government in Tripoli and powerful militias in the east of the country.

A militia holding the key port of al-Sidra sparked a three-day crisis when it attempted to load oil into a North Korean-flagged tanker that had docked without government permission, The Guardian reports.

The confidence vote raises the potential for armed conflict. Most politicians in Libya are backed by militias with regional or ideological allegiances, who may not accept Zeidan's removal. The parliament started off as a 200-seat chamber, but the number of its members has been reduced to 180 after a series of resignations and dismissals. The no vote won the support of 121 MPs.