After an episode of toing and froing, the Libyan House of Representatives issued a law to elect the president directly by the people and by secret ballot.
The election law, which was issued on Thursday by a majority of the House of Representatives, consisted of 77 articles, which included conditions and penalties for the nomination process and candidates, after failing to approve the constitutional basis necessary for holding the upcoming December 24 elections.
The law was issued after Aqila Saleh stressed that the will of the Libyan people is the only guarantee for holding free and fair elections, despite the controversy and the law allowing current officials to run for office, as long as they temporarily resigned from their positions three months before the election date.
Law welcomed internationally
In the context of reactions to the issuance of this law; in his speech to the League of Arab States, the Head of the United Nations support mission in Libya, Jan Kubis, said that Aqila Saleh had informed him of the adoption of the law, which is an tacit approval and welcome, adding that the parliamentary elections can be organized based on the current law with the possibility of introducing amendments to be approved within the next two weeks.
Several parties support the law
The Civil Democratic Party, Libya Revival Bloc, National Forces Alliance, National Centrist Party, Tomorrow Youth Party, Libya for All Movement, National Will Collective, Libyan National Movement, National Democratic Building Bloc, and Movement for December 24, as well as Derna Women’s Union, Network for Support and Empowerment of Women, welcomed the law, bearing this responsibility for every party obstructing or trying to obstruct the election process, and what the situation will lead to, calling at the same time for working for the best interests of Libya.
Ahmed Maiteeq: Election law is positive step
The former Vice-President of the Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord, Ahmed Maiteeq, considered that the law to elect the president directly is a positive step.
He said on Twitter that this law pushes towards the establishment of a stable political and economic environment, as well as pushes towards the unification of divided institutions.
Maiteeq called on all parties and stakeholders in Libya to support this law.
Fathi Bashagha tweets support for the law
Fathi Bashagha, former Minister of Interior of the Government of National Accord, said that he supports the new law approved by the House of Representatives, urging on Twitter, all local and international bodies to stand with the law; in order to complete the rest of the procedures that facilitate the elections process, considering it an important step to end the political division that prevails in Libya.
Othman Abdel Jalil is following in the footsteps of supporters
While the former Minister of Education, Othman Abdel Jalil, considered that the most beautiful thing in the election law is what was stipulated in paragraph 3 of Article 10, which allowed women to assume the presidency of the state, which is considered a regional precedent, calling on women to take the initiative to nominate themselves because this is considered a way to break the barrier, even if they don’t get elected.
Members of the political forum welcome the law
Member of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, Amal Bugaighis; She was among those who welcomed, as she blessed the Libyan people with the issuance of this law, telling those she described as stalkers that “your quest is a loser,” attributing the reason for the loss to the agreement of constitutional and universal principles on the best interest of the Libyan state.
For her part, a member of the LPDF, Zahra Langi, considered the issuance of the election law as a merit according to the road map approved by the Dialogue Forum and in line with Security Council resolutions 2570 and 2571.
Khaled Al-Mashri is out of the welcome squad
Despite this international and local welcome for the parliament’s adoption of the election law, the head of the High Council of State, Khaled Al-Mashri, tweeted alone outside the welcoming stream, describing the law with as defective and “unacceptable,” and a violation of the provisions of the constitutional declaration and the political agreement.
Al-Mashri accused the House of Representatives of seizing power and obstructing the elections. He affirmed that the High Council of State prepared draft laws related to the electoral process for the purpose of compatibility with the House of Representatives after being briefed by the United Nations.
Al-Mashri goes on and urges for the intervention of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, calling for activating the constitutional department of the Supreme Court to carry out its duty to stop what he described as “constitutional violations,” urging the High National Elections Commission not to deal with what he called a “unilateral law.”
