Libyan House of Representatives chooses members for 6+6 committee, ball in High Council of State’s court

Mostafa Mohamed

The Libyan House of Representatives elected its six members to participate in the “6+6” committee that is scheduled to prepare the Libyan election laws, which are supposed to be held at the end of this year. The members include Noureddine Khaled, Jalal Al-Shuwaihdi, Saleh Qalama, Abu Salah Shalabi, Miloud Al-Aswad, Ezzedine Qwerib.

While the House of Representatives elected its members to prepare the election laws, the High Council of State did not. The formation of the committee is stipulated by the thirteenth amendment of the Constitutional Declaration that was placed temporarily after the overthrow of the late President Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.

The amendment, which was approved by both the House of Representatives and the High Council of State, stipulates that each party choose six members to represent it in drafting electoral laws through which the presidential and parliamentary elections will take place, expectedly during this year.

This was the step taken by the Libyan House of Representatives, through which it sought to resolve the constitutional basis necessary to conduct the elections on its own in the event that the High Council of State is sluggish, as the council suffers in the capital, Tripoli, due to the siege on its headquarters and the boycott of its sessions by most of the representatives.

Developing an alternative to Law No. 1

According to the amendment, the 6+6 committee is to work to develop an alternative to Law No. 1 for electing the head of the Libyan state, which was the law approved by the House of Representatives on August 17, 2021, and Law No. 2 for electing the next House of Representatives, which was approved on October 5 of the same year.

Following the decisions taken by the House of Representatives, the High Council of State announced, through advisoray member Adel Karmous, that the selection of the members of the 6+6 committee for the State Council will be by recommendation, stressing in press statements that the High Council of State has reached the stage of sorting names to select members of the committee to participate in the development of the election laws, accompanied by the House of Representatives.

Mohamed Qashout, a researcher on Libyan affairs, confirmed that the House of Representatives proved its seriousness by electing its members for the 6+6 committee, with two from each region, while the High Council of State’s selection is still pending.

Ball is in the High Council of State’s court

As for the High Council of State and its delay in choosing its members for the 6+6 committee, Qashout explained in exclusive statements to the Reference that the ball is now in the High Council of State’s court, as it must elect six members to join their counterparts from the House of Representatives, with the support and assistance of the UN envoy, to complete the electoral laws and move towards parliamentary and presidential elections, in hopes that the High Council of State will not be obstructive and will not set exclusionary conditions.

Regarding the existence of a new government, Qashout pointed out that a mini government will then be formed, whose mission will be to supervise the elections far from controversy.