In an emailed statement sent to Alyunaniya, the head of the Libyan community in Greece, Yahya Abdel Qader Al Thana,  said the Libyan foreign ministry had decided to close down the Libyan school in order to build a new embassy for the country.

Currently, the Embassy of Libya in Greece and its consulate are in different locations. The consulate is located exactly next to the school in Psychiko, a suburb of Athens.

“We are surprised by the decision adopted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take such a decision, and surprised too when we know that the reason for the closure is to seize the opportunity to build a new building for the embassy.”

The Libyan embassy in Greece denied such reports in a phone call with Alyunaniya journalist.

The school which has more than 100 students, is licensed by the Libyan government and has been operating since 1978. The school, is sometimes referred to as the Arabic School as it hosts not only Libyan but also Arab students from different nationalities.

The formally called ‘7th of April’ Libyan School changed its name to ‘17th of February’  to commemorate the martyrs that fell during the 17th of February revolution, which toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

According to the statement the Libyan embassy prior to its decision had promised to renovate the school  as a gift to the community for the country’s  ”successful revolution”.

“The Libyans and Arabs of Greece, are furious as our sons and daughters are at risk of losing their identity and culture which was offered by the school, the only Arab one in Greece, ” the head of the Libyan community said.

“Ali Zidan is elected prime minister and is asked to propose a cabinet within two weeks,” Mohammed Megarief, president of the national assembly, said on television.

Ali Zidan, a former career diplomat and a human rights lawyer was elected with 93 votes, securing a majority of those who voted in a poll to determine the country’s leader for a transitional period of around 20 months.

Zidan, who had support from the leading liberal coalition, the National Forces Alliance, also suggested, however, that he was ready to take into account the views of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood in his government, according to Al Jazeera.

“Islam is our belief system and the source for any jurisprudence, and anything against sharia is refused,” he said.

Gaddafi kept Libya broadly secular, but the uprising which toppled him has paved the way for the emergence of both Islamist and more secular factions.

Ali Zidan defected in 1980 while he was serving at the Libyan embassy in India. He was a member of the opposition National Front for the Salvation of Libya, established in 1981 by dissidents abroad. He later became a Geneva-based advocate for human rights in Libya.

The election comes at a demanding time for Libya as it attempts to disarm rival factions and follows the death of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens in an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi.