To achieve presidential elections: Libyan 6+6 Committee ends its work in Morocco between consensus and opposition
At a time when the Libyan 6+6 Committee finished its work
regarding what it called fulfilling the legal framework necessary for
conducting internal elections, it was also shrouded in ambiguity about the
conditions for running for the presidential elections for fear of hindering
them again after the approval of the 6+6 Committee and their agreement that the
legislative and presidential elections be organized according to simultaneous
procedures. They also agreed on how to involve political parties in the
elections for the House of Representatives through party lists or individual
candidacies. This came amid the presence of supporters and opponents, which was
confirmed by observers of the Libyan issue that there is great ambiguity and
obstacles that may appear in the coming days amid great challenges facing
Libya's march towards elections.
6+6 Committee
From the Moroccan coast of Bouznika, Omar Abulifa, head of
the joint committee between the House of Representatives and the state to
prepare the electoral laws, known as the 6+6 Committee, came out to the Libyans
optimistic and promising that its members had achieved consensus on points
related to the election of the president of the state and the National Assembly
with its two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate, and they
agreed that the legislative and presidential elections be organized according
to simultaneous procedures. They also agreed on how to involve political
parties in the House of Representatives elections through party lists or
individual candidacies.
As for the positive point in the electoral commission’s
statement, it is the involvement of political parties in the upcoming House of
Representatives elections through party lists, and calling for “working in two
parallel lines,” the first of which is pushing towards consensus between the
House of Representatives and the state to produce a constitutional basis upon
which the country’s presidential and legislative elections will be held. The
second is the establishment of a new executive authority for a specific period
and clear tasks, on top of which is the implementation of the electoral process.
However, the smell of other negotiations on a new deal
either to form a new government inside Libya or to merge the two current
governments under the umbrella of one government, as Libyan House Speaker
Aquila Saleh revealed that they are seeking to agree on a new mini-government
that includes national figures who work for about six or eight months until the
elections, stressing his keenness to complete the elections under the
supervision of a neutral party, or as he put it, “neither the government of the
East nor the government of the West.”
On the other hand, Cairo welcomed the efforts of the 6+6
Joint Committee formed by the Libyan House of Representatives and the High
Council of State to prepare electoral laws, as Egypt looks forward to the House
of Representatives, the High Council of State, and the 6+6 Committee continuing
their tasks in order to fulfill the necessary legal framework for holding
presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously as soon as possible,
and in commitment to the Libyan ownership of the solution, which would allow
the Libyan people to achieve their aspirations and build their future.
Ambiguity in Libya
UN Envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily said that serious
challenges remain ahead of Libya's march towards elections, including ensuring
a safe environment, addressing the dilemma of armed formations, advancing
national reconciliation and transitional justice, and protecting human rights
and international humanitarian law.
During his presidency of the first plenary session of the
Security Working Group emanating from the International Follow-up Committee of
the Berlin Conference to be held on Libyan soil, in conjunction with Turkey,
Bathily said, “I count on your cooperation in creating the conditions for
achieving peace and stability in Libya, and I urge you to seize this
opportunity to strengthen what achievements you have made and overcome your
differences.”
Political deals
On the other hand, Mohamed Qashout, a researcher of Libyan
affairs, confirmed that the controversial points regarding the presidential
elections, which mean the candidacy of dual nationals and the military, were
not addressed by the members of the 6+6 Committee, and all that took place in
the Bouznika discussions was about the parliamentary elections.
Qashout added in statements to the Reference that the Libyan
House of Representatives and the High Council of State do not have the power to
impose what they agreed upon to hold the presidential elections because there
are political deals that must take place, especially with
regard to the candidacy of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, as there is a local
political battle between the supporters of Saif al-Islam and the supporters of
the so-called February 17th Revolution, as it is assumed that the committee is
working to come up with a quick solution, because the two state bodies have
reached the end point, with neither the Libyan people nor the international
community accepting their existence.
