On Friday, Libyan Parliament said it formed a committee to hold talks with its rival chamber of the High Council of State (HCS), to discuss amending the draft constitution.
The Libyan Parliament’s move comes to end the current blockage in the political track. The committee includes 12 Members of Parliament (MPs) to review the points of contention in the draft constitution conducted by the Constituent Assembly.
The Libyan Parliament stressed that it would adhere to what was stated in the 12th constitutional amendment and the deadlines set for the completion of its tasks.
However, the Parliament’s procedures are still in dispute with the HCS, which refuses to change the government of Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba or amend the constitutional declaration. The HCS also demands the conducting of the constitutional path first to reach the parliamentary elections as soon as possible.
The disagreement and political division over laws and constitutional amendments was one of the reasons for the failure of the presidential elections last December. The dispute upholds the current ambiguity in Libya, especially regarding the fate of the two competing governments and the future of the elections.
According to the constitutional declaration, if the committee fails to implement the constitutional amendments within 45 days, “a committee formed by Parliament and the HCS shall, within a month, prepare a constitutional rule and binding electoral laws.”
Member of the HCS, Abdel Salam Al-Safrani, said that the initiative of the United Nations (UN) Envoy to Libya, Stephanie Williams, “has reached a dead end,” according to the Italian Nova news agency.
Al-Safrani added that the only way out of the political impasse is through the 12th constitutional amendment or approving initiative of the House of Representatives (HoR) to form a new government and draft the constitution to put it to a referendum at a later date.”
“This is the best settlement that can be implemented and can lead us to elections,” Al-Safrani concluded.
On the 10th of February, the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Agila Saleh, announced the unanimous appointment of Bashagha as the new Prime Minister. However, Al-Dbaiba warned that the appointment of a new interim government could lead to war and chaos in the country. He renewed his pledge to only hand power over to an elected government.