The heads of government and the Presidential Council in Libya stressed today, Tuesday, the importance of holding parliamentary and presidential elections to end the conflict in the country, while there is a state of disappointment among the Libyans due to the postponement of the elections.

The Prime Minister of the National Unity Government, Abdel Hamid Dabaiba, said - in a brief statement - we want to push towards the constitutional path, and the decision should not be unilateral.

The constitutional path means holding a popular referendum on a ready-made draft constitution, and then organizing elections in accordance with this constitution, in contrast to the path the country was going through, which is holding elections and then a referendum on the constitution.

Dabaiba added that the Supreme Council of State (a consultative parliament) is the other side of the decision-making scale (with the House of Representatives), and we support any path that leads to elections.

As a result of differences between official Libyan institutions regarding the electoral laws and the role of the judiciary in the electoral process, it was not possible to hold presidential elections last December 24, according to a road map under the auspices of the United Nations.

So far, no new date has been agreed upon for holding presidential and parliamentary elections that Libyans hope will end a conflict that has plagued their oil-rich country for years.

Aqila Saleh wants to elect a new prime minister (Reuters)

road map

In the absence of elections, Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh wants to elect a new prime minister during a parliamentary session on Thursday, which Dabaiba rejects, insisting that the Political Dialogue Forum set the duration of the transitional executive authority at 18 months, extending until June 2022.

The Libyan House of Representatives said on Monday that elections will not take place this year, and the House also voted yesterday in favor of adopting a political road map that it has been working on since the collapse of the elections process that was scheduled last December due to differences over voting rules and constitutional foundations.

Today, Tuesday, the President of the Presidential Council, Muhammad Al-Manfi, held talks in the capital, Tripoli, with the European Union Ambassador to Libya Jose Sabadell, according to a statement of the Council.

Al-Manafi said that the Council stands at the same distance from all parties and institutions, and places in its priorities the implementation of the national reconciliation project.

Last September, the exile officially announced the launch of a comprehensive national reconciliation project in the country.

He said that the problem now is legal and constitutional, and it must be addressed as soon as possible.

He stressed that the council seeks for elections to be the way out and the solution, and that they be as soon as possible.

Libyans want elections (Reuters)

disappointment and warning

Many Libyans in Tripoli, the capital, expressed their disappointment with the decision to postpone the elections.

A number of them told Reuters that they wanted elections to be held as soon as possible, state institutions would be established, the country would be stable and the living conditions would improve for all Libyans.

And yesterday, Monday, the United Nations warned against a return to the strife and chaos that characterized the past decade in Libya.

This came in a press conference held by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, at the organization's permanent headquarters in New York.

"Our Special Adviser (Stephanie Williams) is in contact with the parties involved and is trying to make sure that there is a unified approach by the Libyan parties on the way forward, including holding elections," the UN official said.