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Eastern Libya’s authorities on Friday called for presidential and parliamentary elections “as soon as possible,” responding to widespread demonstrations across the country demanding an end to the prolonged transitional period and a return to the ballot box.
The demonstrations demanded resolving the question of legitimacy through the ballot box and bringing an end to the prolonged transitional period.
In this context, Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh urged the High National Elections Commission to immediately begin implementing the state’s presidential election law issued by the legislature and to take the necessary steps to set an election date as soon as possible. He said accelerating the process is a key step toward building a stable state.
Saleh stressed that the turnout of thousands of citizens across Libya reflects the desire of nearly 3 million registered voters to move toward elections without delay, underscoring that the will of the Libyan people is the source of all authority.
This response from the parliament and the government it appointed marks a shift in Libya’s political landscape, as authorities in the east have declared their commitment to supporting the popular movement and advancing an immediate electoral process.
Policymakers in Benghazi view the mass demonstrations as a direct popular mandate to activate the presidential election law issued by the legislature, aiming to establish the legal framework needed to end the state of division and move toward the ballot box under constitutional rules approved by the House of Representatives.
In Tobruk in the east, and in Sabha, Ubari and Jufra in the south, as well as Bani Walid in the west, crowds gathered as demonstrators called for accelerating the organization of presidential and parliamentary elections, stressing their right to choose a president through the ballot box.
In response, Osama Hamad, the parliament-appointed prime minister, affirmed in a statement his support for the protesters’ demands, saying that holding presidential elections has become essential to ending the difficult phase of institutional division the country is experiencing.
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