TRIPOLI, Sept. 22 — Libya’s High Council of State and political parties on Monday rejected the adoption or implementation of the “4+4” Committee’s outcomes.
The “4+4” Committee, comprising four representatives each from eastern and western Libya, was launched by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) as an alternative mechanism to overcome the political impasse.
On Aug. 30, the committee signed an agreement in Tripoli to reshape the board of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) and address disputes over presidential and parliamentary election laws.
In a joint national document issued Monday, the High Council of State and political parties said the committee’s outcomes should not override Libya’s constitutional declaration, existing legislation and the powers of legitimate state institutions.
The participants also called for the independence and neutrality of the HNEC and broad national consensus on the constitutional and legislative basis for elections.
Warning that unilateral arrangements and parallel tracks would only deepen political division, the participants urged UNSMIL to play a supportive and facilitating role while respecting Libya’s sovereignty and national ownership of the political process. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
