Al-Mishri: Presidential & Parliamentary Elections Will be Held Simultaneously

The Head of Libya’s High Council of State (HCS), Khaled Al-Mishri said he has agreed with the Parliament Speaker, Ageela Saleh to hold the Senate elections in conjunction with the first round of the Presidential elections, provided that the Parliamentary elections will be held during the second round.

In an interview with Egypt’s Al-Qahera News, Al-Mishri revealed that the upcoming executive authority “will not have the right to run for Presidential or Parliamentary elections.” He confirmed that he will not run for any governmental position.

He also expressed his refusal to hold elections in the presence of two governments, stressing the need to unify the executive authority before elections. “It leads to the transparency of the political scene,” he explained.

Saleh and Al-Mishri met in Cairo on Thursday. The two officials said in a joint statement, that they have agreed to set “a clear and specific” roadmap for elections. They also agreed to create a joint committee to refer the constitutional document to the two chambers for approval.

Al-Mishri said that the new roadmap and the constitutional base that will govern the elections will be announced soon, following a meeting with Saleh, and the UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily.

He explained that the disagreement on the constitutional basis “prevented them from presenting the roadmap to the Libyan people and in the media. The issue is now being brought up for societal dialogue, through seminars and press and media conferences.”

The roadmap aims “to organize elections and unify state institutions,” according to a joint statement issued by the two chambers.

The two sides affirmed their “keenness to achieve a consensual constitutional basis, to reach the Presidential and Parliamentary elections.”