Takala reviews 4+4 agreement outcomes with HCS committee heads, rejects “imposed initiatives”

The Head of the High Council of State (HCS) Mohammed Takala discussed with the council’s first and second deputies and the heads of its permanent committees the latest political developments and the outcomes of the 4+4 small-group meeting held under the auspices of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

The HCS said the meeting discussed the details of the agreement and the arrangements it contains concerning the political and electoral tracks, stressing the need for the agreement to undergo constitutional and legal assessment and for its basis in a clear national and institutional framework to be verified.

The HCS added that participants stressed the importance of broadening consultations among Libyan institutions, particularly the House of Representatives and the Presidential Council, in a way that strengthens national ownership of the political process and prevents the imposition of arrangements from outside Libya’s institutional framework.

It emphasized that any arrangements concerning the future of the state or its electoral process must be based on a sound constitutional and legal foundation and have the consensus of the relevant Libyan institutions, in a manner that safeguards state sovereignty and the unity of its institutions and paves the way for free, fair and credible elections.

Takala had earlier declined to attend the signing ceremony for the agreement after receiving an official invitation from UNSMIL, explaining that his decision “does not represent a rejection of the roadmap or elections, but rather aims to ensure that the political process is based on the principles of national consensus and institutional legitimacy.”