Pro-Islamist elected Libya assembly chief

Mohamed al-Megaryef, a staunch opponent of Moamer Kadhafi's overthrown regime who is seen as being pro-Islamist, was elected late Thursday president of Libya's new national assembly. Megaryef, who had led the Libyan National Salvation Front, which grouped exiled opponents of Kadhafi, won with 113 votes in the General National Congress against liberal independent Ali Zidane, who got 85. Libya's National Transitional Council on Wednesday had handed power to the new assembly, in a symbolic move marking a peaceful transition following the overthrow of Kadhafi's 40-year dictatorship in an uprising last year.