Dispute over Dual Nationality Condition Delays Bouznika Declaration on Libyan Electoral Laws

Libyan crisis

Libyan Al-Masar TV reported, quoting Jamal Al-Shuwehdi, a member of the (6 + 6) Committee, on Tuesday, that the Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, left the place of signing the Bouznika Declaration on the election laws, after disagreements over some amendments.

Al-Shuwaidi said that the head of the State Council, Khaled Al-Mashri, also stipulated that the presidential elections be in two rounds, regardless of the outcome of the first round.

A committee (6 + 6) was formed from representatives of the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of the State according to the constitutional amendment to draft election laws, which could not be held in December 2021 in the presence of two governments in the country.

Earlier on Tuesday, Libyan media quoted sources as saying that a dispute over the condition for waiving a second nationality caused the postponement of the Bouznika declaration on electoral laws.

She stated that Saleh and the parliament delegation demanded that the condition of waiver of the second nationality be among the conditions for winning the presidency and not running for it.

And (Libya Al-Ahrar) TV said that the 6 + 6 committee had agreed to allow dual nationals in the first round to submit evidence of waiver of their citizenship in the second round before the arrival of Aqeela Saleh to Morocco.

Late last month, sources reported that the (6 + 6) committee agreed to hold parliamentary elections next December and presidential elections in January 2024, and to form a mini-government to organize the elections, according to local media.

Moroccan Foreign Minister at the conclusion of the Libyan consultations

Moroccan Foreign Minister: It was agreed on the Libyan election laws

In addition, Nasser Bourita, the Moroccan Foreign Minister, said at the conclusion of the work of the 6 + 6 committee in Bouznika, Morocco, that “the electoral laws in Libya have been agreed upon.”

He added, “In the next few days, in the presence of Counselor Aguila Saleh and Khaled Al-Mashri, the official signing will take place, as well as the adoption of these laws by the heads of the two electoral bodies in Libya, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of the Libyan State.”

He continued, “We hope that these consensuses will open the door to holding simultaneous legislative and presidential elections that will lead to resolving the issue of legitimacy in Libya.”

He stressed that “the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council are the two bodies authorized to delve into issues related to the elections.”

He explained that “the 6 + 6 committee worked within the framework of its tasks as defined in the political agreement signed in Skhirat in 2016.”

He pointed out that “consensus needs to be kept up to check some matters and agree on some details so that they are implemented smoothly.”

He expressed his hope that “the Bouznika understandings will be a gateway to holding elections in Libya, to end the issue of legitimacy in Libya, and to establish legitimate Libyan institutions that serve the Libyans.”

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