Rival groups in Libya came to an agreement on the draft of a new electoral law at a meeting in Morocco, various sources reported on Wednesday, June 7. However, the formal ceremony to sign the agreement was postponed at the last moment without explanation amid reports of some issues not being resolved.
Augila Saleh, speaker of the Libyan parliament or House of Representatives (HoR) which backs one of the rival governments, and Khaled al-Mishri, leader of the High State Council (HCS) which backs the interim government based in Tripoli led by Abdul Hamied Dbeibah, traveled to Morocco to sign the draft of the electoral law finalized by the 6+6 meeting.
The 6+6 Joint Committee, made up of representatives from the two rival governments, had been meeting in Bouznika, Morocco, since May 22. The meeting concluded on Tuesday after the finalization of the draft.
The text of the new law has been finalized and “all that is left is for the parliament to ratify,” Omar Boulifa, a representative for the HCS who participated in the 6+6 meeting was quoted as saying by The New Arab.
The draft law addresses issues related to the role of the president and the parliament, and eligibility of candidates, Al-Wasat reported. These were among the reasons cited for the postponement of the December 2021 national elections that had been scheduled as a part of the UN led peace process. The elections were postponed due to disagreements over the electoral law passed by the Libyan parliament based in Tobruk.
According to the Al-Wasat report, finalization of the draft law was announced despite disagreements, not specified, expressed by at least 61 members of the Libyan parliament who signed a joint letter on Saturday criticizing the committee for “overstepping” its mandate.
Reacting to the objections, Khaled al-Mishri said on Wednesday that attempts will be made to address the outstanding issues in the coming days even though the 6+6 committee’s work is final and binding.
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) issued a statement on Wednesday on the outcome of the meeting in Morocco saying that all outstanding issues related to the electoral law should be resolved soon in consultation with all stakeholders in Libya with the objective of holding the national elections in 2023. It also warned against the actors adopting “delay tactics aimed at prolonging the stalemate, which has caused so much suffering for the people in Libya.”
Libyans have been suffering from over a decade of conflict triggered by the NATO-led intervention in 2011 which displaced Muammar Gaddafi. Various war lords, backed by different regional and global powers with an objective to control the country’s oil and other natural resources, have been fighting against each other since then and have divided the country into their own zones of influence.
