On Thursday, the Libyan Parliament published the 13th amendment to the Constitutional Declaration in its official gazette, according to Parliament Spokesman, Abdullah Blaiheg.
On 7 February, the Parliament approved the 13th amendment to the Constitutional Declaration, which was issued in August 2011 with a unanimous vote.
The 13th constitutional amendment contains 34 articles regarding Libya’s system of government. According to Article 1, this consists of a legislative authority with two chambers, and an executive authority headed by a President, directly elected by the people.
The legislative authority will be called the “National Assembly” and will be comprised of the Parliament, which will be based in Benghazi, and a Senate in Tripoli.
The amendment also defines the legislative competencies of the two chambers, and the method and conditions for candidacy and elections for them.
The executive authority will be headed by a President directly elected by the people. The President will be responsible for appointing and dismissing the Prime Minister. The amendment also defines the functions of the executive authority, its tasks, and methods of accountability.
Article 13 stipulates that the election of a National Assembly and a President must take place within a maximum period of 240 days from the approval of the electoral laws.
A committee of 12 members, comprising of six members from the Parliament and six from the High Council of State (HCS) will be formed to prepare a referendum and election laws. A two-thirds majority of the members of each house will be required to proceed for final approval.
After the committee’s approval, the Parliament would then hold a yay or nay vote, without the ability to modify the proposal.
The article adds that “In the event that the Presidential elections cannot be held for any reason, all related procedures shall be considered null and void.”
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
On 10 February 2022, the Libyan Parliament announced the unanimous appointment of Fathi Bashagha as the new Prime Minister. But 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.