Libya’s parliament speaker says elections to be held before November 2023

ISTANBUL

Libya’s Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh said the country’s stalled elections will be held before November after an agreement between the rival legislative chambers.

On Jan. 5, Saleh met in Egypt with Khaled al-Mishri, chairman of the Tripoli-based High Council of State (HCS), which acts as a senate, where they agreed to announce a roadmap for holding the polls.

Speaking to Al-Qahera News late Monday, Saleh said he was looking forward to holding the Libyan elections.

“Laws regulating the electoral process are currently being agreed upon,” he added. "The Libyans need an executive authority, and the interests of the Libyans must be placed above all else.”

Saleh added that the Libyan elections will be held before November after an agreement between the parliament and HCS.

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.

* Writing by Mahmoud Barakat in Ankara