Female MP’s in Libya have issued a statement demanding that the 6+6 Joint Committee “include the right of women to participate in the Senate”, according to the Parliament’s Spokesman, Abdullah Blaiheg.
The statement highlights the upcoming Presidential and legislative elections, aiming to “achieve the will of the Libyan people by promoting the participation of all, especially women, in the political process to establish a sustainable Libyan state.”
The MP’s requested the inclusion of women’s in the Senate, along with recommendations from a UN-sponsored workshop involving members of both the Parliament and the High Council of State (HCS).
The statement also notes that an agreement was reached to ensure women are represented by no less than 30%.
In January, the Libyan Senate announced its boycott of the preparatory forum for the Comprehensive Conference for National Reconciliation.
The Head of the Senate, Sheikh Mohamed Al-Housh, confirmed that “the boycott is due to the reservations we have about the Presidential Council (PC), and its issuance of the decision to establish the High Commission for National Reconciliation a year ago. The Presidential Council has been unable to name a Chairperson or any members so far.”
Al-Housh said that “the PC took the decision, and acted upon it without handing over the tasks to this commission, and to the specialists in establishing reconciliation rules.”
He claimed that “the way the PC is currently working on the reconciliation file is not the way the reconciliation should be. The work must be on the ground, and in communication with all cities and regions that have disputes, with the displaced and prisoners, and with all segments of society.”
Al-Housh noted that “there are signs of reconciliation. We have begun to open paths for reconciliation and conducting dialogue to reach transitional justice that includes reparation, taking retribution from the perpetrators, exemption, and a general amnesty.”
