Libyan parliament speaker declares eastern central bank head as overall governor

Libya's eastern-based parliament speaker, Aguila Saleh, has issued a letter telling the government and state institutions to recognise Ali al-Hibri, the head of the eastern Central Bank of Libya branch, as the bank's designated overall governor.

The letter, dated Tuesday but made public on Friday, marks a step away from two years of efforts to reunify Libyan state institutions divided by years of conflict, after months of worsening political stalemate over control of government.