CAIRO: Participants in the second Libyan Constitutional Committee meeting, which started in Hurghada in southern Egypt on Wednesday, agreed to hold a referendum on the constitution prepared by the constituent body.
The attendees agreed to complete their discussions from Feb. 9 to 11 and invite the High Electoral Commission to participate in the discussions, leading to a date being set for the referendum and the procedures associated with it.
Participants agreed to submit this agreement to Libya’s House of Representatives, the Supreme Council of State and the UN Support Mission to activate it and provide the necessary support.
The second meeting of the Constitutional Committee was attended by the delegations of parliament and the Supreme Council of State, with 10 members from each.
The UN mission announced that the meeting discussed the constitutional arrangements leading to the general elections on Dec. 24, 2021.
In her opening speech, Stephanie Williams, acting special representative of the secretary-general for Libya, welcomed participants and stressed the need to agree on the constitutional arrangements in the next phase, given its importance.
“If you do not reach an agreement, this will have very negative repercussions on other issues, including the security and economic situation. You will have a great responsibility to reach a consensus on the constitutional arrangements,” Williams said.
The UN mission confirmed its support for constructive dialogue between the two councils.
It is anticipating the results of this dialogue at the end of the 60-day deadline in accordance with Article 4 of the roadmap, hoping that the dialogue will produce results that will help in moving forward with the aim of achieving stability and supporting the results of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum.
The UN mission announced that it had conducted a vote among the members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum on the proposal for a unified executive authority selection method.
Out of 72 members of the forum, 51 voted in favor of the proposed mechanism, while 19 voted against it. Two members abstained from voting.
