TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyan lawmakers have elected a new parliament chief to replace the leader who stepped down to comply with a law that bans officials from the former regime from senior posts.
Nouri Abu Sahmein won 96 votes out of 184 lawmakers the session Tuesday. Most of his support came from the Muslim Brotherhood-led bloc.
Abu Sahmein is the first member of the minority Berber sect to hold such a senior post.
He defeated al-Sherif al-Wafi with 80 votes. His support came from the Alliance of National Forces, led by Mahmoud Jibril, prime minister during the civil war that toppled dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
Former parliament chief Mohammed al-Megarif resigned nearly a month ago after lawmakers passed a law that bans officials who served under Gadhafi from senior posts.
