Egypt says new constitutional amendment in Libya ‘step’ to elections

By Moataz Wanis

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – Egypt has termed a constitutional amendment by the Libyan Parliament as an “important step” towards holding the stalled-long elections in Libya.

On Thursday, East Libya-based House of Representatives approved a constitutional amendment that was published in the official gazette.

The amendment “marks an important step in fulfilling the necessary frameworks to hold the Libyan presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously and as soon as possible under the supervision of a neutral executive authority that upholds the supreme interests of the Libyan state,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement said Egypt “is looking forward to seeing the Libyan House of Representatives and Council of State completing their efforts in preparing electoral laws.”

The new amendment includes 34 articles defining the new system of government and the tasks of the elected president and prime minister.

The Tripoli-based High Council of State, which acts as a senate, was scheduled to vote on the change on Thursday, but the session failed to convene due to protests.

Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011 when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.

The situation has worsened since last year when the Libyan parliament appointed a new government led by former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, but the head of the Tripoli-based government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, said he will cede authority only to a government that comes through an "elected parliament," raising fears that Libya could slip back into a civil war.

* Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report