Libya's internationally recognised parliament on Tuesday postponed until next week a decision on whether to accept a UN proposal for a national unity government, official media said.

The Tobruk-based assembly suspended "until next week the meeting to vote on the names of the proposed ministers and the draft political agreement," said the pro-government Lana news agency.

It comes a day after lawmakers in Tobruk hinted the body might reject UN envoy Bernardino Leon's peace plan, with one lawmaker saying it is a proposal of "divisions, not unity".

Libya has had two administrations since August 2014 when a militia alliance that includes Islamists overran the capital, forcing the internationally recognised government to take refuge in Tobruk in the east.

The one based in the capital Tripoli rejected the proposal on Monday.

"This government is rejected... It will deepen differences between the Libyan people," said Mahmud Abdel Aziz of the General National Congress.

Libya descended into chaos after the fall of Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with the two sides vying for power as well as several groups battling for control of its vast resource wealth.

The new government proposed by Leon on Friday would be headed by Fayez el-Sarraj, a deputy in the Tripoli parliament, and include three deputy prime ministers, one each from the west, east and south of the country.

The announcement came after months of negotiations between the rival factions.