104 MPs Give the US Initiative Majority Backing in Libya’s House of Representatives
Libya – A total of 104 members of Libya’s House of Representatives have now publicly endorsed the US initiative, giving it the backing of a majority in the chamber after a second group of 57 lawmakers issued a statement in support of the American-led political track.
A Second Statement in Two Days
The latest statement, issued in Benghazi on Sunday, followed an earlier declaration signed by 47 MPs on June 19 in support of the initiative conveyed by US Special Envoy Massad Boulos.
With the addition of the 57 new signatories, the number of lawmakers publicly backing the initiative has risen to 104.
A Commitment to Elections
The MPs said they remained committed to returning political authority to the Libyan people through free, fair and democratic elections.
They said this position had guided their engagement since the Skhirat dialogue in late 2014 and their support for successive UN- and regionally sponsored political processes, including the Geneva dialogue that was expected to culminate in elections at the end of 2021.
The lawmakers accused the institutions that emerged from that process and were tasked with facilitating the vote of having instead worked to obstruct and derail it.
Backing for a Unified Spending Framework
The signatories reaffirmed their willingness to engage positively with any effort aimed at ending Libya’s institutional fragmentation and unifying its executive and sovereign bodies.
They described the unified spending agreement as an initial step towards a broader political settlement capable of ending institutional division, averting the threat of partition and creating effective state institutions able to confront Libya’s domestic and regional challenges.
Confidence in the General Command
The MPs welcomed the US initiative and placed what they described as their full confidence in the General Command of the Libyan National Army to defend Libya’s national principles and strategic interests during the consultations and negotiations required to implement it.
They said any resulting settlement should safeguard the military establishment, unify executive and sovereign institutions, consolidate stability and extend security across the country.
The ultimate objective, they added, should be the holding of simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections that restore the Libyan people’s right to choose their leaders.
Earlier Backing for the Boulos Initiative
The June 19 statement, signed by 47 MPs, had endorsed the US proposal to establish a small committee tasked with preparing a roadmap for the next phase.
Those lawmakers described the initiative as a serious opportunity to bridge divisions among influential Libyan actors, coordinate political efforts across the east and west and create the conditions for a comprehensive national settlement.
The two statements together bring the total number of MPs publicly supporting the US initiative to 104, giving it majority backing in the House of Representatives.
Signatories to the Latest Statement
The latest statement was signed by: Ismail Al-Sharif, Hassan Al-Zarqa, Ezzedine Bouorawi, Kamal Al-Shalabi, Muath Rafea, Jaballah Al-Shaibani, Jibril Wahida, Hassan Jaballah, Ezzedine Qweirib, Saleh Fahima, Abdelsalam Nasia, Bashir Al-Ahmar, Naima Dalf, Youssef Al-Farjani, Intisar Shneib, Saeed Mughayeb, Ibrahim Misbah, Abdulqader Hassan Yahya, Mohammed Arifa, Ibrahim Karangouda, Al-Siddiq Hamouda, Al-Hadi Al-Saghir, Ahmed Al-Sharif, Saleh Qalma, Sarah Al-Suweih, Ayman Saif Al-Nasr, Al-Mabrouk Al-Khattabi, Al-Sadiq Al-Kuhaili, Ali Kushair, Belkhair Al-Shaab, Abdulnasser Bin Nafea, Abdulmonem Balkour, Souad Al-Shalimi, Mohammed Al-Abani, Mohammed Al-Rahbi, Omar Tantoush, Sabah Jumaa, Ahlam Al-Lafi, Mohammed Lafris, Saad Al-Merimi, Adel Mouloud Mahfouz, Ibtisam Al-Rubaie, Misbah Al-Badawi, Abdulnabi Abdulmawla, Hassan Abubakr, Rajab Ammar, Abdulhafiz Al-Saghir, Abdullah Hneish, Abusalah Shalabi, Mohammed Tamer, Mahdi Al-Awar, Youssef Kalikouri, Mohammed Moussa Douma, Mustafa Ahmed Bouqousha, Al-Muntasir Al-Hassi, Mohammed Saad Hammad and Miftah Al-Kartihi.
