Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC) called on the 6+6 Joint Committee to “reconsider and amend some of the electoral laws,” stating that “some articles cannot be implemented and pose a threat to the integrity of the electoral process and the legitimacy of elected authorities.”
The 6+6 Joint Committee was formed by the Libyan Parliament and the High Council of State (HCS) to prepare election laws.
The Chairman of HNEC, Emad Al-Sayeh asked the Committee to amend an article which stipulates that “it is not permissible to challenge the conditions for running for the Presidency, with the exception of the dual nationality condition.” He stressed that HNEC will “exclude any candidate for the Presidential elections who holds another nationality, and will reject his candidacy request.”
Al-Sayeh stressed that “it is not technically possible and difficult to conduct the three electoral processes in the second round, simultaneously, and on one polling day.” The three referenced elections are for the Presidency, the Parliament, and the National Assembly (Senate).
He explained that “chaos will prevail in the polling centers in this case, opening the door to fraud and prolonging the counting and sorting phase. In addition, these centers will not be able to accommodate the number of voters.”
Al-Sayeh noted that texts of some articles “leaves the door open to appeals, even after the end of the electoral process, which poses a threat to the stability and legitimacy of the elected authorities.”
Earlier, the Committee approved the electoral laws, which have been subject to dispute. It agreed to allow dual nationals to run for the Presidency in the first round, provided that the candidate submits proof that they have renounced their second nationality to enter the second round of voting, according to local media.
The Committee announced that it had finished agreeing on the electoral laws, without the participation of the Speaker of Parliament and the HCS, as was planned.
Regarding the candidacy of military personnel, the law states that a candidate is considered to have resigned from his position “by the force of law,” after accepting his candidacy, and it is also required that they not be convicted of a felony.