UNSMIL: 4+4 committee adopts new mechanism to reach consensus on Head of HNEC

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) announced on Tuesday that the 4+4 mini-committee has adopted a new mechanism to reach consensus on a candidate to head the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), following delays in implementing the mechanism previously agreed upon. The mission did not provide further details about the newly adopted process.

The announcement came as UNSMIL hosted the sixth meeting of the mini-committee at its office in Tunis. The committee is tasked with addressing the first two steps of the UN-facilitated political roadmap, according to a statement posted by the mission on its Facebook page.

UNSMIL said participants continued drafting the provisions of the final agreement based on understandings reached during previous sessions regarding the legal framework for holding presidential and parliamentary elections.

The mission added that the draft agreement now incorporates most of the points already agreed upon, with participants scheduling another meeting during the first week of August to complete the remaining work of the mini-committee.

In late April, UNSMIL announced that the 4+4 group had reached an agreement during a meeting in Rome on restructuring the board of the High National Elections Commission. Under that agreement, the Attorney General would nominate a member of the judiciary known for competence, integrity, and impartiality to serve as the commission’s new chairperson.

The participants also agreed at the time to nominate Ali Al-Tayeb Abduljawad, Haitham Ali Al-Tabouli, and Ali Abu Salah to represent the House of Representatives, and Sanaa Al-Lishani, Badioui Mohammed Badioui, and Ali Muftah Al-Mabrouk to represent the High Council of State as members of the new HNEC board.