By Sami Zaptia.
London, 23 February 2016:
Further details have emerged of how the Cyrenaican / Federalist anti Government of National Accord (GNA) minority . . .[restrict]within the House of Representatives (HoR) disrupted proceedings in today’s session forcing a postponement until next week.
The Federalist minority of about ten members insulted, threatened, bullied and shouted during the session to ensure that no vote took place. In the morning, they attempted to prevent and intimidate members from entering the chamber in the hope of preventing the formation of a quorum, members reported.
However, they were unable to resist the flow of members into the voting chamber, and having failed to prevent the formation of a quorum, they then went on to disrupt proceedings within the chamber proper itself.
Ultimately, in view of the overwhelming majority of members in favour of having a vote, they physically ascended the president’s podium, physically preventing HoR president Ageela Salah from initiating a vote.
Various HoR members reported differing numbers ranging from 97 to 100 members – over the needed quorum of 93 – were ready to vote.
HoR member Fawzia Abughalia confirmed the events of the day and that there was a quorum and that a majority of members were ready to exercise a vote, but that the Federalists used force to prevent it going ahead. At one point during proceedings, electricity to the building was deliberately cutoff plunging the chamber into darkness.
HoR member Muad Rafa Masoud also confirmed the day’s chaos and said that 95 members have signed a document announcing their support for the GNA as well as an undertaking to move the HoR vote to the central region of Jufra.
Meanwhile, HoR member Abubaker Ahmed Saeed lamented the day’s events saying that it was ‘‘regretful and shameful what happened in the HoR today’’. He complained that ‘‘a minority prevented the majority from carrying out their democratic right in expressing their views on the GNA’’. [/restrict]
