By Ali Salem.
Tripoli, 17 December 2014:
Twenty nine members of the former General National Congress (not 97 as earlier stated) have drafted a letter . . .[restrict]to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warning of a potential failed democracy in Libya because of attempts by Islamists to revive the former legislature while attempting to lead the public to doubt the legitimacy of the House of Representatives (HoR).
Expressing fears over the deepening political divide in Libya that threatens the country’s future, the former GNC members stressed that the June elections were not only brought about in response to public demand but were fair and endorsed by the international community.
After losing the election, some parties occupied the capital by force, refusing to recognise the newly elected parliament unless “unreasonable conditions” were met, they stated.
The Supreme Court’s ruling in October on the legality of the parliament was a farce, they added, having no legal basis. However, it had been portrayed in the media as a legal ruling for the dissolution of the HoR, misleading the international community, they went on to say.
It would be a grave mistake and a threat to the future of democracy in Libya to allow those groups who oppose the HoR — mainly Islamists, they claimed — to revive the former GNC. Those countries that had established ties with the former GNC were impeding the democratic process, the group warned. [/restrict]
