The Libyan High Council of State (HCS) has condemned the House of Representatives’ decision to open candidacy for a new Prime Minister as a unilateral move that will not be recognised.
In a statement, the HCS urged the House of Representatives to refrain from continuing this approach, warning that it would only perpetuate failure and deepen divisions.
The Council affirmed its commitment to the general framework for a political solution outlined in the Cairo trilateral statement. It emphasised that there has been no agreement on the mechanisms for implementing its provisions, including the process for forming a new government.
Previously, the House of Representatives announced the opening of candidacy for the Prime Minister position, inviting interested individuals to submit their applications to the Council’s headquarters in Benghazi from Sunday until August 11.
The official spokesperson for the Libyan House of Representatives, Abdullah Bliheg, said, “The Speaker of the House has invited the leadership and members of the High Council of State to endorse candidates they find competent for the position of Prime Minister.”
Bliheg emphasised that “this announcement is based on the provisions of the Constitutional Declaration, the 13th Constitutional Amendment, the election laws issued by the House of Representatives, and the agreements reached by the 6+6 Committee.”
He pointed out that “this decision is based on the agreement between the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Head of the High Council of State, and the Head of the Presidential Council, which was made at the headquarters of the Arab League in Cairo on March 10, 2024. It is also based on the statement issued by members of the House of Representatives and members of the High Council of State during the meeting held in Cairo on July 18, 2024.”
During the Cairo meeting, attended by members of both the House of Representatives and the High Council of State, participants agreed to form a single new government to prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections.
The final statement of the Libyan House of Representatives and the High Council of State called for “the establishment of a political roadmap to end the crisis leading to elections, the House of Representatives to announce the opening of candidacy, and the commencement of endorsements and review of candidates’ files for a national leadership government to oversee the country’s affairs.”
