Tripoli: The Head of the Presidential Council, Mohammed Al-Menfi, hosted a significant meeting in Tripoli with ambassadors and representatives from various countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Qatar, Italy, Russia, Algeria, France, the United Kingdom, India, China, Somalia, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, and Greece. This gathering aimed to discuss Libya's path towards achieving stable governance through elections.
According to Libyan News Agency, the council's media office reported that discussions centered on the latest political, economic, and security developments. The focal point was the pursuit of a comprehensive political settlement to conclude the transitional phases and facilitate presidential and parliamentary elections grounded in sound legal and constitutional principles.
Al-Menfi underscored the Presidential Council's commitment to supporting any genuine national consensus that advances the country towards elections, emphasizing the importance of shortening transitional phases. He expressed the Council's readiness to back agreements that meet legal and national criteria, safeguard the electoral process, and avoid prolonging the transitional period.
The head of the Presidential Council highlighted the importance of established electoral institutions, which allow election preparations to occur alongside addressing ongoing issues. He stressed the need to uphold state sovereignty and institutional jurisdiction, ensuring that access to public office is not compromised by political or financial influence.
Al-Menfi also addressed the necessity of restoring trust in the political process through combating corruption, resource smuggling, organized crime, and impunity. He affirmed that political settlement and the rule of law should proceed on separate but not conflicting paths.
In his call to international partners, Al-Menfi advocated for support of a Libyan-led process with defined timelines leading to free and fair elections. He emphasized that legitimacy should come from the Libyan people, with the ballot box serving as the means to conclude transitional phases and establish institutions with legitimacy derived from the people's will.