The Government of National Accord in Libya confirmed that the President of the Presidency Council, Fayez al-Sarraj, will resign after the formation of a new executive authority, while preparations for the upcoming elections began at the end of next year.
Ghaleb al-Zaqlai, a spokesman for the speaker of the council, told Al-Jazeera today, Tuesday, that Al-Sarraj would hand over power after choosing a new executive authority after the end of the political dialogue forum.
Al-Sarraj had announced in early September that he would resign by the end of October if the Libyan parties agreed on a new executive authority, but he retracted his resignation given the lack of an agreement in this regard.
With regard to the presidential and parliamentary elections, which the United Nations said during the Libyan political dialogue round in Tunisia that it will be held in Libya on December 24, 2021, a spokesman for the Libyan Presidency Council said that within days Al-Sarraj would meet with the head of the High Electoral Commission, Imad Al-Sayeh, to discuss the commission's preparations. For the upcoming elections.
He added that during the upcoming meeting, the budget announced by Al-Sarraj will be determined for this matter, explaining that it will also include identifying the most important requirements of the commission to prepare for the elections.
Supporting the Commission The
Libyan spokesman emphasized that the Accord Government’s support for the Electoral Commission comes with the aim of the members of the Libyan Dialogue Forum adhering to the timeline they have adopted.
Al-Zaqla'i denied the statements reported by Libyan media outlets attributed to him regarding holding general elections, whatever the political situation, at the end of next year.
Al-Sarraj welcomed the agreement of the Libyan parties negotiating in Tunisia to set a date for holding general elections, and announced the allocation of the budget of the High Electoral Commission.
During the Libyan dialogue round in Tunisia - which lasted for a week and ended late on Sunday - the parties to the dialogue expressed their objection to setting a date for the elections before resolving the issue of the referendum on the draft constitution, and urged the UN mission in Libya to move towards organizing the referendum.
Participants in this round agreed on the date of the elections, defining the powers of the Presidency Council, most notably defense and foreign affairs, as well as the government's powers, which are preparing for elections and providing services to citizens.
However, they differed on other issues, including conditions for running for positions, mechanisms for selecting candidates to fill them, naming the President of the Presidency Council and his two deputies and the head of government, determining the constitutional base on which the elections will be organized, setting the date for the referendum on the constitution, and the powers of the dialogue committee, if the parliament fails to approve the government and approve Draft constitution and election laws.
In the context, the European Mission to Libya confirmed today the European Union's support for the implementation of the upcoming electoral elections in Libya, and Washington, in turn, welcomed the setting of a date for the general elections.
Misurata-Sirte
Meanwhile, the Libyan Government of National Accord forces announced today that the opening of the road linking the cities of Sirte (450 kilometers east of Tripoli) and Misrata (200 kilometers east of the capital) is subject to the withdrawal of mercenaries and the removal of mines from Sirte, which is controlled by the forces of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar.
The commander of the Sirte Al-Jufra Liberation Operations Room - Ibrahim Bayt Al-Mal - said that the Libyan army forces will not open the road unless the mercenaries of the Russian Wagner Company and the Sudanese Janjaweed mercenaries are withdrawn, and mines are removed.
He added that the road can only be opened after the implementation of these conditions, commitment to the ceasefire, and willingness to implement any agreement that contributes to easing the burden on the Libyans.
For his part, the spokesman for the operations room for the liberation of Sirte Al-Jafra - Abd al-Hadi Dara - stipulated that the wounded be treated in the Volcano of Fury operation of the Al-Wefaq forces, which repelled the attack by Haftar's forces on Tripoli and other areas in western Libya, to open the road between the cities of Sirte and Misrata.
Last Thursday, the Al-Wefaq Forces said that the military movements in Sirte and in Al-Jufrah, which is located to the south, do not suggest that the region will be evacuated from mercenaries and armed militias.
Days ago, the joint military committee between the Government of National Accord and Haftar's forces reached during a meeting in Sirte an agreement to open roads and corridors between eastern and western Libya, and on October 23 last, the same committee in Geneva reached an agreement on a ceasefire that includes the withdrawal of mercenaries within 90 Yuma, the formation of a joint Libyan military force run by one operations room.