Ali Zeidan, who was ousted as prime minister by Libya's parliament this week, told FRANCE 24 on Thursday that the parliamentary no-confidence vote that deposed him was "falsified".

Parliament voted to oust the premier on Tuesday after a tanker loaded with crude oil set off from the rebel-held port of Es Sider and evaded navy attempts to halt it.

Some of Libya's powerful rebel groups who have been demanding regional autonomy in the east began exporting oil this week in defiance of the central government.

After the vote Zeidan fled to Germany via Malta, government sources in Valletta told AFP, while Libya's General National Congress named Defence Minister Abdullah al-Thani to serve as caretaker premier.

The ouster of the liberal prime minister has embolded the country's Islamist groups, which have been waging an insurgency against the government since the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddafi. Forces loyal to the central government, often out-manned and out-gunned, have struggled to contain their influence.

It was unclear where the tanker, which was flying the North Korean flag, was heading. The North Korean flag is often used to keep the true ownership of cargo ships secret.

North Korea said in a statement to state media that the tanker had violated its laws and a contract it had with an Egyptian company by carrying contraband cargo. It said it had notified Libya and the International Maritime Organisation that it had severed all association with the ship.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)