By Sami Zaptia.
London, 3 August 2021:
The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum’s (LPDF) Bridging Proposals Committee concluded its fourth virtual yesterday with reaching agreement on a constitutional basis for the 24 December 2021 elections. The matter has now been referred to LPDF plenary.
UNSMIL reported today that its Coordinator, Raisedon Zenenga, had facilitated the fourth and final virtual session of the Proposal Bridging Committee (PBC) of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) yesterday. The aim of the PBC meetings was to agree on one or more bridging proposals, building on the Legal Committee’s draft, for a constitutional basis for the upcoming national elections on 24 December 2021. The Committee had before it four full-fledged proposals, which were submitted within the deadlines set by its members.
The members of the Committee acknowledged that all possibilities of reaching a compromise on a single proposal had been exhausted and therefore requested the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL to transmit the four proposals to the LPDF plenary for its consideration and decision.
The Committee agreed on a mechanism for the anticipated LPDF vote on proposal/s. The recommended voting mechanism will be submitted – along with the proposals – to the LDFP plenary.
Addressing yesterday’s PBC meeting, Assistant Secretary-General and Mission Coordinator Raisedon Zenenga said, “The LPDF started with one proposal from its Legal Committee in May, then considered another proposal from members of its Advisory Committee in Geneva in June but ended up with three proposals in Geneva and now four proposals from the PBC. Furthermore, three committees have been previously tasked to prepare a constitutional basis for the elections: the House of Representatives- High Council of State- Joint Committee, the LPDF Legal Committee, and the LPDF Advisory Committee, without conclusive outcomes. The PBC was the fourth Committee.”
UNSMIL expressed its appreciation for the efforts exerted by the PBC members and said that it expects that the next LPDF plenary will produce a proposal for the constitutional basis to enable the holding of national elections on 24 December 2021 as set out by the LPDF Roadmap and called for by the UN Security Council resolution 2570 (2021). UNSMIL will facilitate the upcoming LPDF plenary.
