Libyan parliament, High Council of State heads agree to revive 6+6 election committee

Muetaz Wannes and Lina Altawell

Libya’s House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh and High Council of State President Mohamed Takala agreed to reactivate the joint 6+6 committee tasked with drafting election laws and hold a meeting of the body in Türkiye.

The agreement came during a meeting between Saleh and Takala in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Thursday, according to a joint statement.

“The meeting resulted in several understandings aimed at strengthening national consensus, supporting political and institutional stability in Libya, and affirming continued coordination between the two councils on national obligations,” the statement said.

The joint 6+6 committee, formed by Libya’s House of Representatives and the High Council of State, was established on June 6, 2023, following talks in the Moroccan city of Bouznika to draft laws for the expected elections. However, some of its provisions faced opposition from Libyan parties, preventing the laws from being enacted.

The two sides stressed that Libya’s political process must remain within the framework of the constitutional declaration, the legal framework and the political agreement regulating the work of both councils, while respecting the powers assigned to each council.

They also praised “the efforts of the sisterly Republic of Türkiye” and its readiness to host the 6+6 committee in the coming days, enabling it to complete its work on election laws and paving the way for the long-awaited electoral process.

Efforts to end division

During the Ankara meeting, the two councils also stressed the need to unify sovereign positions and the executive authority, and end institutional division in a way that strengthens the unity of state institutions and leads to a unified executive authority ahead of the elections demanded by the Libyan people.

“Takala handed Saleh a letter regarding the board of the High National Election Commission,” the statement said, adding that the letter would be presented to the House of Representatives to take the measures it deems appropriate according to its procedures and powers.

In January 2021, a 13+13 committee formed by the House of Representatives and the High Council of State met in Bouznika, Morocco, to discuss appointments to Libya’s sovereign posts.

The positions discussed by Libyan parties included the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, the attorney general, the governor of the Central Bank, the head of the National Oil Corporation, the head of General Intelligence and the head of the Election Commission.

Separately, security sources said Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Saleh and Takala in Ankara on Thursday.

The meeting discussed developments in Libya and the region, possible steps to deepen cooperation between Libya and Türkiye, efforts to achieve political and military unity and maintain stability in Libya, as well as ways to make lasting progress on outstanding issues and reach broad consensus among Libyan parties.

The participants stressed the leading role of both councils in promoting stability and moving the political process forward, agreeing on the goals of achieving political unity and unifying institutions.

Libya has long been the subject of discussions over holding presidential and parliamentary elections, ending disputes over the executive authority, and achieving full military and political integration, without a resolution being reached despite various initiatives.

The Ankara talks are significant as the first meeting between the heads of the two institutions held under Turkish sponsorship and hosted in Türkiye to discuss these issues and make tangible progress on stalled tracks.

Libya remains divided between two rival governments: the Government of National Unity, headed by Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and based in Tripoli, which governs western Libya, and the government of Osama Hammad, which was appointed by the House of Representatives in early 2022 and based in Benghazi, governing the east and most southern cities.

The UN mission in Libya has been pursuing efforts to lead the country toward elections that could resolve the crisis.