State Council and Parliament meet in Benghazi over electoral commission leadership

A committee from the High Council of State (HCS) is meeting its counterpart from the House of Representatives (HoR) in Benghazi today to consult on forming a new board of directors for the High National Election Commission (HNEC).

HCS member Saad Ben Sharada confirmed that the Council is prepared to move forward with appointments to the remaining sovereign positions, noting that priority is being given to the electoral commission as part of the UN roadmap. He added that the HCS committee tasked with reviewing the roadmap will present its proposals at the next session, with members having the final say on whether to adopt them.

Ben Sharada criticised the role of the United Nations mission, arguing that its plan has delayed progress on unifying the executive authority and moving towards elections. He also said that reopening debate on electoral legislation—already drafted by the joint “6+6” committee—risks providing opportunities for certain parties to obstruct the process.

Meanwhile, HoR Speaker Aguila Saleh has appointed a three-member committee representing Libya’s three regions to liaise with the HCS on the sovereign positions file. The brief includes consultation on the HNEC board and possible changes to the leadership of oversight bodies such as the Administrative Control Authority and the Anti-Corruption Authority.

The HCS previously voted on a shortlist of seven candidates for the post of HNEC chairman and referred the names to the HoR, which is expected to submit its own nominees.

The discussions in Benghazi come amid international efforts to revive Libya’s political process. The UN mission in Libya presented a roadmap last month, which was welcomed by the UN Security Council earlier this month, calling on Libyan parties to engage constructively to enable elections and institutional unification.