On Monday, Libya’s 6+6 Joint Committee held a meeting at the headquarters of the Libyan Parliament in Benghazi.The meeting was convened to discuss observations on the draft election laws.During its session on 9 August, the Parliament approved the referral of the draft laws for the Presidential and Parliamentary elections.Last week, the Head of Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Sayeh has called on the 6+6 Committee to engage with the commission for a comprehensive discussion on election laws.Furthermore, Al-Sayeh mentioned that the Parliament has issued a law, under which the commission is now responsible for local elections. He also revealed that the executive regulations for municipal elections will be released. These are expected to be implemented in the first quarter of 2024.Notably, the Libyan Parliament’s Spokesman, Abdullah Blaiheg stated that the Parliament forwarded its observations regarding the Presidential and Parliamentary election laws to the 6+6 Committee.He added that this comes after significant objections concerning key elements, including the mandatory requirement for Presidential candidates to undergo two election rounds.In a recent interview with the Al Hadath TV channel, Blaiheg highlighted the paradox of the current system. Under the present electoral laws, a Presidential candidate might amass 90% of the votes in the primary round, but still not be declared the winner. Such candidates, as per current stipulations, are compelled to proceed to a second round. “Given this, the Parliament is advocating for a modification allowing the possibility of determining results, within the inaugural round itself,” he added.Shedding light on the Parliament’s authority, Blaiheg remarked that they do not have the right to modify the draft laws received from the 6+6 Committee.
