Presidential Council’s Head says political agreements must end transitional period

The Presidential Council’s Head Mohammed Menfi said the Council is following the understandings and arrangements being pursued under the auspices of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, stressing that the ambiguity surrounding some of them runs counter to the principle of transparency that should govern any UN-led process.

Menfi said the success of any political agreement depends on the clarity of its legal basis and mandate, respect for constitutional frameworks, its ability to withstand legal scrutiny, and guarantees for its implementation and continuity.

He stressed that after years of transitional phases, Libya does not need new arrangements that reproduce disputes or are based on the distribution of positions. Instead, it needs an agreement that ends the transitional period, preserves state institutions and paves the way for simultaneous and inclusive presidential and parliamentary elections, thereby returning decision-making power to the Libyan people.

Menfi added that any arrangements concerning sovereign institutions, including the High National Elections Commission, should neither be imposed as a fait accompli nor be based on ambiguous powers lacking a clear legal foundation.

On the economic front, Menfi said mounting financial pressures and the widening gap between revenues and spending, culminating in the Central Bank of Libya governor’s request to step down, make protecting public funds and halting the depletion of state resources an urgent priority.

He also affirmed Libyans’ right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest, as well as responsible public pressure to defend the country’s resources, protest deteriorating economic conditions and uphold their right to choose those who govern the country.

Menfi concluded that transparency in the political process, discipline in managing public funds, and respecting the will of Libyans through elections are the path to ending the transitional period rather than perpetuating it.