Libya's wartime rebel prime minister Mahmoud Jibril called for the some 150 political parties in the North African nation to back the creation of a grand coalition government as election results were expected on Monday.

Joyful Libyans turned out in large numbers on Saturday for a largely peaceful national assembly election, their first free national poll after 42 years of Muammar Gadhafi that went ahead despite widespread fears of violence.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said on Monday that China welcomes the parliamentary election held in Libya over the weekend, describing it as an "important step" in the country's political transition process.