Libya’s Council of State finalizes draft for elections, laws
Khalid al-Mishri, the chairperson of Libya's High Council of State, speaks to reporters in Tripoli, Libya, April 24, 2021. (AA File Photo)


Libya’s High Council of State said Sunday that it prepared a draft for the constitutional basis of the upcoming elections in December that will be decisive for the war-torn country’s future.

The council head, Khalid al-Mishri, met on Sunday in Tripoli with Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Buccino and special envoy Nicola Orlando.

Al-Mishri said the council is keen on reaching a consensus with the House of Representatives (parliament) on election laws.

"The council finalized a draft for the constitutional basis and proposed laws for the parliamentary and presidential elections, and will consult about them with the House of Representatives," he said.

On Saturday, Libya's elections commission said 10,729 Libyans living abroad had so far registered for the upcoming elections.

The commission said 2,856,624 Libyans are eligible to cast a ballot in the Dec. 24 vote.

Libya has seen months of relative peace since the October cease-fire, with a new unity government taking power early this year, charged with leading the country until the December elections.

But the U.N.-led Libyan dialogue forum missed a July deadline to agree on a legal framework for the polls.

U.N. envoy Jan Kubis warned that a failure to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya on Dec. 24 could renew conflict and cripple efforts to unite the country.