Hassan Al-Werfalli (Benghazi, Cairo)
The Vice-President of the Libyan Presidential Council Abdullah Al-Lafi, in his capacity as the Supreme Commander of the Libyan Army, inspected yesterday the joint operations room at Maitika base in Tripoli, to see the progress of work in it.
Al-Lafi also discussed with a number of candidates for the presidential elections the latest developments in the political crisis in Libya, stressing the commitment of the Presidential Council to conduct the elections, according to a constitutional rule agreed upon by all, in order to achieve the desire of more than 2.8 million Libyan voters who registered their names in the records of the Electoral Commission.
Al-Lafi explained, according to a statement by the Presidential Council, that the Council stands at the same distance from everyone, and has the ability to intervene to achieve the desire of the Libyan people to hold elections, to ensure the country’s stability and unity.
While the candidates for the Libyan presidential elections affirmed, during the meeting held at the council’s office in Tripoli, their support for all the steps taken by the Presidential Council to ensure the holding of elections that lead to the stability of the country, and expressed their desire to hold fair elections, according to a legal framework agreed upon by all.
In addition, the Head of the Libyan State Council, Khaled Al-Mashri, discussed with the dialogue committee elected by the parliament the preparation of the constitutional base in agreement with the Libyan House of Representatives committee, and discussed the latest developments related to the elections and the constitutional basis for them.
The members of the committee confirmed their readiness to dialogue with the committee representing the House of Representatives whenever they were invited by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, while preserving the constants set by the State Council.
The Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on Libya, Stephanie Williams, confirmed her optimism that the conditions would allow the meeting of the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of State, expressing her gratitude to the High Council of State for attending the consultative talks with the United Nations in Tunisia.
In statements reported by local Libyan media, Williams said that she had received a very positive response from Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh, who welcomed the UN initiative, and “it remains now only to bring the two councils together and start negotiations,” she said.
Williams added that the international initiative does not oppose the 12th constitutional amendment, and it did not come from another planet, but rather from the 12th constitutional amendment itself, which provided for the formation of a committee of the House of Representatives and the state comprising 24 individuals to meet within two weeks of issuing the amendment, and this did not happen because There is consensus, stressing that setting a specific date for the elections is in the hands of the Libyans, and that she is aware that the faster the consensus is achieved between the House of Representatives and the state, the more realistic the hope of reaching the elections.
On the crisis of the executive authority in Libya, Williams indicated that the United Nations did not and will not adopt a position on recognizing a government or another, and that it is communicating with both sides.
In the midst of the Libyan political crisis, there is a segment of Libyans demanding a return to the monarchy that prevailed in the country before the coup of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 1969.
American press leaks revealed discussions led by Britain to restore the monarchy and revive the 1951 constitution in Libya, according to a research paper from the British University of Cambridge entitled “Plan B for a Democratic Libya,” which was announced during the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum.
The research paper believes – according to local Libyan media – that restoring the previous Libyan constitution may be the first success of the United Nations in establishing a new state, and provides Libya with a way out of the civil conflict, especially in light of the power struggle between the two governments.
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