Libya Parliament Approves Election Roadmap

Libya’s House of Representatives on Monday unanimously approved a final agreement reached by the 4+4 Small Dialogue Committee aimed at paving the way for presidential and parliamentary elections, according to a parliamentary statement.

House of Representatives spokesman Abdullah Bliheg said lawmakers unanimously adopted the agreement during a session in Benghazi, eastern Libya.

The agreement provides for restructuring the board of Libya’s High National Elections Commission and addressing disputed issues surrounding the legal framework for presidential and parliamentary elections.

It also calls for the elections to be held under a single executive authority and unified national institutions within a maximum period of 24 months.

The 4+4 Committee signed the agreement on August 30 at the headquarters of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in Tripoli.

The committee consists of four representatives from the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity and four representing eastern Libyan authorities. It has held UN-sponsored talks aimed at addressing Libya’s political deadlock and advancing a roadmap towards elections and a unified executive authority.

On September 3, UNSMIL formally referred the agreement to the House of Representatives and the High Council of State. The two bodies were given one month from the date of the agreement’s signing to approve it.

Libya has been divided by competing political and military authorities since the overthrow of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Many Libyans hope elections will help end the country’s prolonged political and armed conflicts and bring successive transitional periods to an end.

The parliament’s approval marks one step in the process outlined by the 4+4 agreement, but the report does not state whether the High Council of State has approved the deal.

SOURCE: AA