According to the chamber’s spokesperson on Wednesday, Libya’s parliament speaker Aguila Saleh has approved regulations for national presidential and parliamentary elections, but it may be challenging to have a vote if disagreements over the procedure persist.
According to the spokesperson, Abdullah Belaihaq, a majority of the House of Representatives (HoR) voted to accept the laws on Monday; however, he did not disclose the results of the vote or the number of members present.
The High State Council (HSC), another internationally recognized legislative body, has not made it apparent whether it has also approved the laws, and there are disagreements within Libya’s political structure about whether it would be necessary.
Since a 2011 NATO-backed revolt, Libya has had little peace or stability. In 2014, the country divided into eastern and western parts, with competing governments in charge of each region.
The HoR is headquartered in the east, whereas the HSC is in Tripoli, which is also home to the GNU, the internationally recognized government of national unity.
Political conflicts in Libya contributed to the recent disaster in Derna, when dams collapsed under heavy rain, causing a flash flood that swept away part of the town and killed thousands of people.
The HoR, HSC, and GNU are some of the temporary political institutions that have been targeted by international diplomacy as a means of ending the conflict in Libya.
After the HSC and other components of Libya’s political system rejected electoral laws produced by the HoR, attempts to hold elections in 2021 were unsuccessful due to disagreements over the rules.
Although a joint committee of HoR and HSC members who convened in Morocco earlier this year drafted the regulations that Saleh announced on Wednesday, the U.N. envoy stated in July that the laws “in their current state would not enable successful elections.”
A new round of violence might result from the HoR’s stated desire to install a new temporary administration in place of the GNU before any elections.
Saleh has previously passed laws, the legitimacy of which was afterwards contested by certain HoR members who claimed he had abused the legislative system. He refuted that.
On Wednesday, two HSC members gave conflicting statements to Reuters over whether the council had approved the laws or not.
Diplomats have cautioned that it may be difficult to hold fair elections even if rules are broadly accepted because the majority of Libya is controlled on the ground by armed factions that may support or oppose specific political candidates.
