Aqila Saleh, the speaker of the Libyan parliament, and Khaled Al-Mashri, the head of the Supreme Council of State, are meeting in Morocco on Thursday in a fresh attempt to discuss political obstruction to the constitutional road and negotiate the allocation of sovereign roles.
Al-Mashri and Saleh will meet in Morocco, according to the first deputy head of the Supreme Council of State, Naji Mukhtar, who told local media that the agreement between the two chambers “is important to accomplish many urgent matters, including the constitutional base and sovereign positions” in order to advance toward the elections, unite the institutions, and choose those who will lead them.
Due to the disagreements over the eligibility requirements for the presidential race, which were a major factor in the failure of the previous election plan that was scheduled for December 2021, it is noteworthy that these two files are among the most popular files about the political forces in Libya, particularly with regard to the constitutional base.
The new UN envoy Abdullah Pateli, who began his duties a week ago and has reiterated the “importance of the elections” in all of his meetings with the parties, is leading a global diplomatic effort to revive the political process in Libya. This meeting coincides with that effort.
It is significant that the final meeting between Saleh and Al-Mashri took place in Geneva, Switzerland, in late June, at the invitation of Stephanie Williams, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on Former Libya.
Due to disagreements over the requirements for presidential candidacy at the time—Saleh argues that it is essential to permit the nomination of the military and dual nationality, while the Mashri rejects these arguments—the two parties were unable to come to an agreement on a constitutional framework that governs the election process.
The upcoming summit in Morocco will provide a “fresh opportunity” to overcome all disagreements and restart the country’s election process in Libya.
Saleh and Al-Mashri will meet soon to discuss how to reconcile their disagreements regarding the constitutional track.
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