On Tuesday, Libya’s Parliament Speaker, Ageela Saleh said that “the solution that will get the country out of its crisis is to amend the constitutional declaration.” He called on MP’s to “take bold, courageous decisions, and responsibility.”
In a speech he delivered during the session held in Benghazi, Saleh added that the Parliament is “the only legislative body, and the High Council of State (HCS) is only advisory.”
The Speaker confirmed that the Parliament will continue to consult with the HCS. He noted that the HCS has not responded to the Parliament’s correspondence, regarding several outstanding issues.
He stressed that “the solution to the Libyan crisis comes through amending the constitutional declaration, and establishing a rule for elections.”
He explained that the dispute with the HCS is “represented in the latter’s refusal to nominate dual nationals for the Presidential elections. They should be allowed to run, provided that the winner renounces their foreign nationality, before taking the constitutional oath.”
Saleh noted that “what is presented is a draft constitution, not a single rule, and it must be presented to the Libyan people for a referendum, and there will be discussion and community dialogue on it.”
On Monday, Saleh said that elections could be held in or before November 2023. He pointed out that “the current dispute over the constitutional basis relates to the candidacy of military personnel and dual nationals, two points, where the committee in charge will converge views.”
In an interview with the “Cairo News” channel, Saleh added that “any law issued by the legislative authority related to the system of government is a constitutional rule, which can be built upon.”
He explained that “there is a convergence on the draft of the election law, with the exception of two articles. The committee in charge of converging views will refer the draft to the two chambers to take the necessary actions.”
The Speaker pointed out that “the legal basis for the constitution in Libya is the constitutional declaration of which the elections for the National Congress, the Constitutional Commission, and the Parliament were held. There are no booby traps, and the reason for the dispute is the barring of some personalities due to their dual nationality, and work in the armed forces. It should be left to the Libyan people to decide who governs them because some want military men, and some don’t want dual nationals.”
Saleh noted that “approving the constitution requires a referendum, while the constitutional rule is that the Parliament can amend the constitutional declaration and prepare it. It is possible, if the intentions are true, to establish a constitutional rule for the upcoming elections. What happened in Cairo will be presented to the two councils to consider the possibility of a referendum to resolve the differences.”
“What hinders the elections in Libya is external interference, but now there is a great rapprochement between the Libyans, and we expect to agree on the correct constitutional path during the coming period,” he added.