A member of the Benghazi city council says the Libyan cities under rebel control have appointed an ex-justice minister to lead a provisional government.

Fathi Baja says opponents of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi named Mustafa Abdel-Jalil to the provisional leadership post.

Baja said Sunday that Abdel-Jalil was chosen by the committees running the eastern Libyan cities now in the rebellion's hands.

On Saturday, Libya's top envoy to the U.S. also said Gadhafi opponents were rallying behind efforts to form an alternative government led by Abdel-Jalil, who has criticized Gadhafi's brutal crackdown on protesters.

It was not immediately clear how much support the proposed provisional leadership commands.

The uprising against Gadhafi began in Benghazi on Feb. 15. The rebels now control most of the eastern half of the country.