(VOVworld) - Libya’s new parliament agreed on Tuesday that the next president will be elected by a popular vote as lawmakers sought to defuse a confrontation between two armed factions.

A fighter from Zintan brigade watches as smoke rises after rockets fired by one of Libya's militias struck and ignited a fuel tank in Tripoli August 2, 2014 (Photo: Reuters)

Fatthallah Saiti, a Libyan lawmaker said they have made the decision to elect the president directly, but will not set a date for the vote until they discuss the current crisis and see how stable the situation is. A month of violent confrontations between Zintan and Misrata armed groups have turned Tripoli and Benghazi into battlefields and caused a number of countries to evacuate their citizens for their safety. Rocket, artillery, and mortar attacks stopped after a UN delegation persuaded the factions to reach a ceasefire agreement.