By Sami Zaptia.
London, 5 January 2016:
The House of Representatives (HoR) failed to officially convene today in the eastern city of Toruk . . .[restrict]due to the lack of a quorum.
This is the second day in a row and the second consecutive week that the HoR has failed to achieve a quorum.
The majority HoR members attempting to convene a meeting were planning to vote on the UN-brokered Skhirat Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) and it’s Faiez Serraj Government of National Accord (GNA).
HoR majority members who are in support of the Skhirat agreement are expressing frustration at the failure to achieve a quorum.
They are now considering holding an HoR meeting in an alternative neutral city such as Ghadames in order to enable HoR boycotting members to attend and complete a quorum in order to vote on Skhirat.
This meeting would bypass the Ageela Salah dissenting minority and be led by HoR deputy president Shoab.
Some HoR members had been more confident that they would achieve a quorum and vote this week in view of the UN’s Martin Kobler’s reports during his Tripoli visit last week that dissenting HoR president Ageela Salah was now in support of Skhirat.
It must be recalled that according to the terms of the Skhirat agreement, the Serraj-led GNA will takeover all sovereign functions – irrespective of whether the HoR or GNC vote on it or not.
Equally, according to the Skhirat agreement’s timeline, as of 26th January all sovereign positions such as the Governor of the Central Bank of Libya and the Libyan National Army Commander in Chief will default to the GNA.
Moreover, as of that key date, the international community will only be able to deal with the GNA – to the exclusion of both the previously internationally recognized Beida-based Thinni Interim Government and the Tripoli based Salvation Government. [/restrict]
