Former President of Libya’s High Council of State (HCS), Khaled Al-Mishri, has labelled the current president Mohammed Takala’s decision to postpone the election round to August 20 as “invalid and issued by an unauthorised person”.
In a statement signed in his capacity as HCS president, Al-Mishri asserted his claim to the presidency based on the election results.
He criticised Takala for referring the dispute over a contested ballot to the judiciary, knowing that it lacks jurisdiction in this matter.
Al-Mishri highlighted that the HCS’s internal regulations mandate the council’s legal committee to resolve such disputes, suggesting that Takala’s referral was merely a tactic to buy time.
He emphasised that the live broadcast of the voting process showed Al-Mishri winning with 69 votes to Takala’s 68, under the observation of representatives from both candidates.
Al-Mishri stated that Takala does not have the authority to call for a session or make such declarations.
He noted that the council’s internal rules stipulate that the term of the council’s presidency office is one year from the date of election, indicating that Takala’s term has ended both by election and by the legal timeframe.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Takala has announced that if the judiciary does not resolve the dispute, a new round of HCS presidential elections will be held on August 20.
He suggested that anyone confident in their qualifications should not fear another election round.
