On Sunday, Libyan Member of Parliament (MP), Tarek Al-Jeroushi, warned that any postponement of the national elections would plunge Libya into chaos, return to fighting and divide the country.
Al-Jeroushi stressed that holding the presidential and parliamentary elections on December 24th is the solution to end the Libyan crisis.
According to Parliament’s statement, the MP added that that the Chairman of the the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) has no right to postpone the elections, “as his authority is limited by what was stated in the political dialogue agreement in Geneva.”
He confirmed that any military or civilian official who did not stop exercising his duties three months before the December 24th deadline, does not have the right to run for the presidency.
The MP denied the existence of a pledge by the President and members of the Presidential Council, the Interim Prime Minister and his Ministers not to run for elections, explaining that the matter was “unfounded.”
Notably, the HNEC Head, Emad El-Sayeh, confirmed that Prime Minister Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba and Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Moammar Gaddafi, have the right to run for the upcoming presidential elections.
Al-Sayeh stressed the necessity of holding simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections referring to technical reasons.
Last October, Al-Dbaiba was assigned by a United Nations (UN)-brokered deal between the Libyan parties to conflict. According to the UN-deal, the chosen authorities including Al-Dbaiba, were not allowed to run for elections or take any position in the next government.
On the other hand, Libyan Parliament Speaker, Ageela Saleh, said the HoR will not prevent any Libyan who meets the conditions to run for elections. He noted that Gaddafi’s son can run for elections “if he meets the legal conditions.”
The upcoming President should not been finally convicted of a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, and not deprived of his civil rights, according the Elections Law. The upcoming President should not hold a foreign nationality on the day of candidacy.