The Head of Libya’s internationally recognised parliament, Aguila Saleh, has declared that the country should go ahead and conduct an election this year, even if voters reject a draft constitution in a planned referendum.
According to Reuters, this announcement should help alleviate fears that members of the Libyan House of Representatives might try to undermine efforts to organise elections to help end the years-long conflict in Libya.
“The United Nations and Western powers hope Libya will hold its national elections by June after holding a referendum on a constitutional framework to chart a way out of the conflict, which stems from the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
“Because we want a constitution (based on) consensus this will take time… We need an executive authority and there is no other choice than (electing) a temporary president (if the draft constitution is rejected),” Saleh told Reuters in a weekend interview in his home town of Qubba in eastern Libya.”
Similarly, the son of former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi has noted that an election in the country will help solve the conflict currently crippling the Maghreb country.
“Saif Islam Gaddafi, the son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was toppled as a result of NATO’s involvement in the country’s domestic crisis in 2011, backs holding a presidential vote in the state as soon as possible, “as any delay creates more problems”, his representative stated responding with criticism to a UN envoy’s proposal to set up elections only by the end of 2019, Bloomberg reported.”
Almasdar News reports that Saif’s Aide reportedly said: “The only solution is elections. If you maintain the current political situation, that is not in the Libyan people’s interests.”
Prior to this, the United Nations’ envoy to Libya, Ghassane Salame, reportedly announced that Libya will be organising a presidential election before the end of the year.
According to the Libya Observer: “He pointed out that the UN-led settlement in Libya rests on improving living conditions for Libyan citizens and re-establishing the daily life.
“The UN plan of action is based on parliamentary elections and then the referendum on the constitution to end with presidential elections before the end of this year,” Salame told Al-Hurra channel Wednesday, stressing that the mission is reaching out to all political and armed parties in order to reach a consensus that would make the Libyan national dialogue a success.”
Libya has two governments, one in the capital city of Tripoli and a rival parallel government in the east, allied to commander Khalifa Haftar, whose forces control the east. Haftar is seen as a likely contender in the next presidential election.
Last month, the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) reportedly said it could organise a referendum in February if it received funding from the UN-backed government based in Tripoli.
The country and international observers await to see the outcome of these agitations for a democratic election in the country.
