The United Nations calls on the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of State in Libya to form a joint committee to draft the constitution

The United Nations Adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, said today, Friday, that she called on the Libyan House of Representatives and the High Council of State to nominate 6 representatives from each council in order to “form a joint committee dedicated to developing a consensual constitutional basis” in order to overcome the existing differences that prevent the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections. .

Williams stated - in a series of tweets on her Twitter account - that the joint committee is supposed to meet on the 15th of this month under the auspices of the United Nations, and that its work will continue for two weeks to achieve the set goal.

She stressed "the fundamental importance of maintaining security and stability, and refraining from all acts of escalation, intimidation, kidnapping, provocation and violence," adding that "the solution to the Libyan crisis is not in the formation of competing administrations and permanent transitional stages," but rather in moving towards a "consensual way forward, which prioritizes maintaining the unity of the country." country and its stability.

The political process in this country collapsed last December as a result of the failure to hold the scheduled presidential elections, as the main political forces and entities put forward conflicting plans for the course of the electoral process.

Bashagha government

Yesterday, Fathi Bashagha was sworn in before the parliament, which is based in Tobruk, in the east of the country, to take over the position of prime minister, but the current prime minister, Abdel Hamid Dabaiba in Tripoli (west), refused to relinquish power, which heralds a return to political division and security turmoil.

In all phases of the political conflict in #Libya since 2013 until now (the violent struggle for power and money backed by regional and international parties) the constitutional and legal texts, customs and parliamentary regulations are never valued.

— Ahmed Khalifa (@ahmad_khalifa78) March 2, 2022

Last January, parliament approved a political roadmap, which includes putting an amended constitution to a referendum this year, followed by holding elections next year.

Although the Supreme Council of State initially approved the parliament's plans related to the constitution, and assigning Bashagha to form a government, it later rejected these two orders.

In a related context, the spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations said yesterday - in a press conference - that his organization had verified information it had received of acts of intimidation against members of the House of Representatives before a session to give confidence to the new government, which was held last Tuesday.

The UN spokesman did not provide more details about the nature of the "intimidation" or the parties that practiced it.

forgery accusation

After the House of Representatives granted confidence to the Bashagha government, the Dabaiba government said in a statement that it is continuing its duties, accusing the House of Representatives of falsifying the quorum set for granting confidence.

The Dabaiba government is based on the fact that the outcomes of the Libyan Dialogue Forum (the Political Agreement) set the term of the transitional executive authority at 18 months, extending until June 24, 2022. In return, the House of Representatives granted confidence to the Bashagha government on the basis that the term of the Dabaiba government ended last December With the failure to hold presidential elections.

In another statement, the Dabaiba government said that it would consider any attempt to storm its headquarters an attack against government headquarters, claiming an unofficial capacity, and would deal with such moves in accordance with the correct law.

This government's statement came, after Bashagha announced, in a televised speech last Tuesday, that it would assume its duties in the capital, Tripoli, in a peaceful manner, stressing the importance of reconciliation.

Despite a political breakthrough last year, two governments are still quarreling with legitimacy, and the position of the international community on this is not yet clear, and warnings are mounting that this will be the beginning of a new political division, such as the one that the country witnessed with two “executive heads” over many years before reaching a political agreement under the auspices of the United Nations. Its implementation began with Dabaiba assuming the presidency of the Government of National Accord a year ago.