Libya’s High Council of State fails to vote on constitutional amendment

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) – A scheduled session of Libya’s Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS) failed to convene on Sunday due to lack of a quorum.

The HCS, which acts as a senate, was planned to vote on a constitutional amendment meant to pave the way for holding the country’s stalled elections.

“The quorum was not achieved for holding the session to vote on the amendment,” a council member told Anadolu as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Sunday’s session was required to be attended by 101 members of the 200-seat council.

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

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

Earlier Sunday, 54 council members issued a joint statement rejecting the constitutional amendment.

On Saturday, HCS chairman Khaled Al-Mishri said the constitutional amendment “is the result of lengthy consultations” with the House of Representatives.

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