Libya’s parliament calls for a sound roadmap for elections

The Follow-up Committee in the Libyan House of Representatives called for the development of a sound road map for holding the elections. It also called for amending the constitution in partnership with the State Council.

The session of the Libyan parliament started Monday. It was a session that was considered crucial and aimed to discuss the roadmap for the next stage, which may lead to setting a new timetable for the elections, after its holding failed on December 24, and consensus on one option from several proposed scenarios, in the eastern city of Tobruk.

The UN Adviser to Libya, Stephanie Williams, expressed her hope that the House of Representatives would address legislation that would allow the holding of elections.

Parliament had formed a committee to develop a road map for the next phase within a week, after the elections failed, due to legal disputes over the eligibility of candidates and political differences between the poles of power in the country, in addition to security tensions and foreign interference.

This session, which is awaited by all Libyans, outlines the features of the coming period and resolves the controversy over the new date for the presidential and parliamentary elections. It will also determine the fate of the current executive authority from a presidential council and government, as their legal terms expired on December 23, between extension, amendment, or dismissal.

Libyan deputies and politicians talked about 3 options or scenarios for the next stage.

The first is to hold elections in a maximum period of 6 months, with the extension of the current executive authority and maintaining it until the electoral process is organized, a proposal supported by some foreign countries led by Britain.

The second is in amending the government by excluding presidential candidate Abdel Hamid Dabaiba and appointing a replacement for him, or dismissing her completely, and prolonging the coming period for more than a year, until agreement on electoral laws and the constitutional path and the unification of state institutions, then holding elections, an option supported by internal political forces.

The third option is the most dangerous and raises many concerns, and is represented in the return of armed conflict to the country and a slide into instability if the government-backed by armed militias refuses to hand over power if it is dismissed, or if Parliament decides to draw up a road map without agreeing with the rest of the political parties.