Head of Libya's Presidential Council stresses the need to end transitional phases and organize elections

Tunis, Sept 9 (KUNA) -- Libyan Presidential Council Chairman Mohamed al-Menfi stressed on Wednesday the necessity of concluding transitional phases and holding elections to renew political legitimacy in Libya. The Council said in a statement that this position was expressed during al-Menfi’s meeting with a delegation of notables, elders, elites, and prominent figures and leaders from Libya’s eastern, western, and southern regions, aimed at discussing recent political, economic, and security developments and ways to advance the political process and end transitional phases. The statement quoted al-Menfi expressing the Council’s readiness to support any “serious and realistic” settlement that would shorten the lifespan of transitional institutions, leading to electoral milestones that renew political legitimacy and lay the foundation for a stable phase. He firmly rejected any arrangements that would prolong the transitional period or reproduce political and institutional divisions. The Council chairman underscored the importance of overcoming the current crisis through “strong national will and responsible political consensus” and a path leading to unified legitimate institutions based on the will of the Libyan people, and preventing the temporary phase from becoming a permanent political trajectory. The delegation also firmly rejected any understandings or political arrangements lacking constitutional and legal backing, or that would marginalize any party in the national landscape. It stressed that the future of the political process must remain contingent on the will of Libyans, and that solution pathways must be grounded in pure national ownership, “free from external interference or impositions that undermine the sovereign decision-making of the Libyan state.” (End) sh b m / m a a