A new head of the High Council of State in Libya has been elected in a development that may further complicate efforts to restart its stalled political process.

Mohammad Takala defeated the incumbent Khaled al-Meshri to take over as president of the Tripoli-based consultative body.

The body was set up in 2015 as part of the UN-backed roadmap towards a new democratic future for Libya, after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi and the violent unrest that followed.

The election of Mr Takala may lead to a shift in political alliances in Libya, as he is a close ally of the interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.

New head of top Libyan council elected