Mohamed Tekala has been elected president of Libya’s High Council of State, securing 59 votes in Sunday’s internal leadership contest. The vote saw competition from several candidates, including Ali Al-Swaih, Nagy Mokhtar, Suleiman Zubi, and Abdullah Ali.
Absent from the session was outgoing president Khaled Al-Mishri, who denounced the proceedings as illegitimate. In a Facebook post, Al-Mishri claimed the session failed to meet the legal quorum of 92 members, citing only 91 attendees at the scheduled time.
However, session rapporteur Abdeljalil Al-Shaoush stated that 95 members were present, surpassing the two-thirds threshold required for quorum. Council member Kamal Al-Jatlawi also confirmed that the legal minimum had been met, affirming the validity of the vote.
The election marks a new chapter in the council’s leadership, though the dispute over its legality may fuel further institutional fragmentation in Libya’s already divided political landscape.
