Libyan representatives have new plan to hold elections within 14 months

In a step that will end the Libyan crisis provoked by the postponement of the elections, the Libyan House of Representatives has approved the draft roadmap committee, which represents the outlines of the new transitional phase leading to holding the presidential elections that could not be held in December 2021. By adopting the roadmap submitted by the committee formed by the House of Representatives, the elections are to take place within a period not exceeding 14 months from the amendment of the constitutional declaration, at a time when the Libyans only want elections to be held as soon as possible to put the country on the path of stability.

New plan

The House session that was held for the new plan to break the Libyan crisis witnessed discussions about the specific period of time until elections are held, as the views of representatives varied regarding the needed period, whether 14 months or less, while others argued for a period of more than two years.

House Speaker Aguila Saleh indicated that the matter is related to the assessments of the bodies concerned with organizing elections, namely the High National Election Commission and the Civil Registry Authority, which requested that period to remove the force majeure reasons that prevented the elections from being held last December.

The draft came in four articles, the first of which stipulated the adoption of the roadmap submitted by the committee formed by the Libyan House of Representatives so that the electoral process would take place within a period not exceeding 14 months from the amendment of the constitutional declaration.

In the second article, it was stated “that the committee referred to in the first article should consult with the State Council Committee to present the final version on the constitutional amendment, including a precise determination of the periods required for electoral entitlement, in a period not exceeding the time specified in the previous article in order to vote on it within a deadline of no more than a week in conjunction with the granting of confidence to the new government.”

The third article stipulated that “after listening to the projects of the candidates for prime minister, the names are referred to the State Council to submit the required recommendations regarding them, provided that the vote will take place in the session on Thursday, February 10,” while the last article stated that “the roadmap committee must submit its final report within a month from today’s date.”

The committee, which was formed by the Libyan House in January, held several meetings with political forces in order to reach a formula of understanding and to get out of the political impasse in Libya in the form of a roadmap.

Observers of Libyan affairs believe that this period is quite vast, while everyone is calling for elections soon, as the current situation in the country cannot continue for that period. They noted that the Libyan street only wants elections as soon as possible, and these demands were supported by international statements from Washington and Europe urging the need to reach a date soon and maintain the current momentum, which comes at a time when the Government of National Unity (GNU) refuses to hand over power to a new, unelected government in accordance with the internationally agreed-upon roadmap. They also noted that what is happening is a manipulation of the will of the Libyan people in the truest sense of the word, as the Libyan street will not remain silent in the face of the movements of the current political entities that do not want to access the electoral fund in order to maintain their positions.

US Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland confirmed that the repetition of the election date, like the previous one on December 24, 2021, will lose credibility in setting the new date, and it will not be long before the Libyans lose confidence completely in the entire electoral process, which they are counting on a lot to rebuild the country, revive the economy and protect the borders. He stressed that the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General, Stephanie Williams, is leading efforts to restore things to normal and to hold elections according to the timeframe set by the roadmap of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, which ends in June.