Libya’s supreme court Monday ruled as unconstitutional the election of premier Ahmed Miitig in a chaotic parliamentary session, ending a month-long political crisis that saw two rival cabinets jostling for power.

Libya's supreme court Monday ruled as unconstitutional the election of premier Ahmed Miitig in a chaotic parliamentary session, ending a month-long political crisis that saw two rival cabinets jostling for power.

Miitig said he would respect the ruling, hailing the decision as a "boost for the conservation of the rule of law" in Libya.

The standoff started when parliament in early May voted Miitig as new premier to replace Abdullah al-Thani, who resigned after an attack on his family.

Thani however refused to recognize the parliamentary vote, which came days after gunmen stormed the building to interrupt an earlier ballot.

Several liberal lawmakers accused Islamist blocs within the interim parliament of allowing late arrivals at the session to cast their votes after the initial result was announced to make up the 121 votes needed, after Miitig had garnered only 113 votes.

Thani insisted e would await a decision by the judiciary before handing over power.

But Miitig convened his first cabinet meeting last week despite Thani's objections, and the two rival premiers disputed power in Tripoli, laying claim to the largely lawless North African nation's huge reserves of oil and gas.

On Monday, the Supreme Court issued its ruling.

"The court has judged the election of Miitig at the General National Congress (the interim parliament) as unconstitutional," a judge at the court said after a short hearing, without elaborating.

Miitig, 42, an independent backed by the Islamists, had been due to lead the country for a short interim period until June 25, when the country is due to hold an election to replace the congress.

Constitutional law expert Abdelgader Gdoura told AFP the "Supreme Court's decision is final ... Miitig's government is finished."

The GNC had also said it would comply with the decision, and confirmed that Thani would head the interim government.

"The congress complied with the judiciary's decision," Salah al-Makhzum, a vice president of the GNC, told a press conference shortly after the court ruling.