Libya's High Council of State voted to replace its leader in a televised vote on Sunday, with members chosing Mohammed Takala in a run-off.

The 67 to 62 vote ousts Khaled Al-Mishri who had led the Tripoli-based body since 2018. 

Al-Mishri congratulated Takala on his win.

The council and the House of Representatives have been negotiating a path to elections under UN pressure, but they have both sought to replace the interim government in Tripoli before any national vote.

Government of National Unity Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dabaiba, seen as a political rival of both Al-Mishri and House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh, has said he will not cede office until after an election and last year he fought off brief armed efforts to unseat him.

It was not immediately clear how the election of Takala would impact talks over electoral rules, or the two bodies' push to replace Dabaiba.

International diplomacy has long focused on presidential and parliamentary elections as a critical element of any lasting solution to Libya's conflict, with both the House of Representatives and the council now facing big questions over their legitimacy.

UN diplomatic efforts have continued to push the bodies to agree rules for an election, but many Libyans believe both bodies have little interest in holding a vote that would push them both from office.