The heads of Libya’s three councils, the House of Representatives (HoR - parliament), the High State Council and the three-person Presidency Council announced yesterday that they have agree on a document of principles for a roadmap to end Libya’s transitional phase.
They revealed, in a joint release, that during a joint meeting, the presidencies of the House of Representatives, the High Council of State, and the Presidency Council agreed to adopt a document of principles that constitutes a roadmap for ending the transitional phase.
This document includes a number of understandings related to completing the constitutional and legal framework for holding presidential and parliamentary elections, unifying sovereign institutions, strengthening national sovereignty, and enacting economic and financial reforms that guarantee the protection of public funds and preserve the unity of state institutions, thus paving the way for fulfilling the national obligation (election) and ending the transitional phases.
The main points of the agreement are:
- Adherence to the Constitutional Declaration and its amendments, the Political Agreement and its annexes, and the statement issued by the first tripartite meeting in Cairo under the auspices of the League of Arab States.
- Proceeding with its implementation, with the necessary amendments in light of developments and in response to national initiatives, to ensure the holding of simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections.
- Conducting the elections under the supervision of a supreme sovereign committee composed of: the head of the High National Elections Commission, two members from the 5+5 Joint Military Committee (one from the eastern region and one from the western region), and two representatives from the security sector tasked with securing the electoral process (one from the eastern region and one from the western region).
- Adopting the Bouznika Agreement verbatim as the framework for appointing and reunifying sovereign positions.
- Categorically rejecting the unfreezing of frozen funds and assets under any pretext or consideration until a president is elected by the people.
- Rejecting resettlement projects or policies that indirectly lead to them and weaken the national economy.
- Agreeing on a new legal framework that guarantees comprehensive and joint oversight, supervision, and monitoring of the oil, gas, water, and mining sectors. - Affirming the National Oil Corporation's exclusive right to market oil through transparent and legal tenders, and the exclusive right of the Central Bank and foreign banks to collect revenues.
- Agreeing to form a joint technical committee to prepare a draft unified constitutional budget for 2027, to be submitted to the House of Representatives for approval.
- Presidential and parliamentary elections will be held simultaneously no later than February 17, 2027, in accordance with the electoral laws finalized by the (6+6) committee.
- Adding two sovereign institutions to the provisions and mechanisms of Article 15, to guarantee their unity, independence, and neutrality, and to safeguard assets and resources: Libyan foreign investments and the National Oil Corporation.
Comment
It is early days yet, but it is to be seen if the members, rather than the heads, of all three bodies will agree to the plan. There is still no obvious rational reasons or incentives for any of the incumbent bodies to give up their powers and status quo – a dynamic that has maintained the status quo and kept Libya in political limbo since 2012.