Abdullah Al-Kabir
Setting the date for the general elections on December 24 of this year is the most prominent outcome of the political forum dialogues.
It is true that the other terms of the agreement are important and constitute the necessary basis for preparing for the elections, but including the date in the forum document and obligating all candidates and political forces to pledge in writing to respect all the terms of the agreement is the first step towards achieving this entitlement on time without delay.
The political parties at the forefront of the scene do not want elections that are certain to oust them from power, and they realize that their chances of returning to power if they run for the elections are almost non-existent.
The majority of the people are sure that these entities and personalities are one of the main reasons for this degradation in which the country has declined.
But is it sufficient to agree on the date of implementation of this entitlement, with what was granted and confirming it in statements issued by the major international powers and the Security Council?
Of course not, our experience brought us back from 2014 until today that the current entities, especially the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of State, do not want to leave, without ignoring the exception in the President of the Presidential Council welcoming the new authority and his readiness to hand over tasks and duties to it. But it is the exception that proves the rule.
The next and decisive step is the popular movement organized and legally framed by civil society organizations, so the Prime Minister’s pledge to adhere to the election date is not enough, and even if the intentions are good, we should expect some personalities or entities to set up obstacles and push towards postponing the date to a later date that may not come.
Therefore, it is necessary to prepare to move through demonstrations, civil disobedience and media outlets in an organized manner if there are signs of disruption or obstruction.
The good news came from Tripoli a few days ago with the announcement of a gathering that included civil society institutions and political activists to declare the December 24 elections party, which aims to adhere to holding the elections on time, to enshrine the citizen’s right to choose who will manage his affairs, and to block any attempt to obstruct or delay.
The launch of this movement from Tripoli is a very important step waiting for it to extend to the rest of the near and distant cities.
The spread throughout the country with unity of purpose facilitates coordination to move simultaneously, by going to the streets and squares and asking everyone to adhere to the election date if any party tries to set obstacles that prevent them, or the parliament and the State Council continue to disrupt the constitutional process that organizes the elections.
The lust for power is rampant among most of the figures that emerged after the February Revolution, despite their lack of political experience and their lack of leadership talent, confirmed that the willingness to face it peacefully through activating the mechanisms recognized in the democratic culture should start now.
The majority, and perhaps everyone, will leave involuntary under the weight of streets and squares as they vibrate demanding change.
Elections remain a means and not an end, and we should not raise the ceiling of expectations high, as what has accumulated over the past years and decades, as well as the old structural problems, need a long time beyond the current generation to deal with it, but the road begins with regaining sovereignty, strengthening control over national decisions, and curbing this waste of national wealth.
The restoration of the homeland begins with the dropping of these flabby entities and emaciated personalities crouched on our chests through the ballot boxes peacefully.
And the establishment of a culture that directs the candidate for any position to the voters to present his vision and project and strive to convince them and obtain their approval, not to travel abroad in search of recommendations from international and regional capitals.
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Abdullah Al-Kabir, a Libyan writer
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December 24 Movement Demands the Approval of the Constitutional Rule for December Elections
In a statement, the December 24 Movement announced its commitment to the Constitutional Declaration and its amendments as a constitutional rule on which the Presidential and Parliamentary elections can be held on December 24, 2021.
Here is the English translation of the full statement by the December 24 Movement:
Demand for Approving the Constitutional Rule for the Presidential and Parliamentary General Elections on December 24, 2021
While announcing the start of our field movement across various cities all over Libya, we affirm that every 24th day of the month is a date to reaffirm our right to restore the national legitimacy and end the state of isolated islands. We also stress that this movement is not associated with any currents, or ideologies, or persons, but is a pan-Libya civil and peaceful movement, led by the youth of Libya, who believe in peace, and defenders of the values of unity, civic state, and democratization path, and as we announce our movement, we reaffirm the following:
(1) We, hereby, affirm our absolute rejection of the attempts to impede, with roadblocks, the Preparatory Phase of a Comprehensive Solution through creating excuses; foremost among which is the attempt to unjustifiably interpolate a referendum on a draft constitution in the elections’ entitlement.
(2) We urge the High National Election Commission (HNEC) to immediately embark on cancelling the previous electoral records, and start the process of re-registration of voters, according to a new mechanism based on identification cards as a complementary measure, and we also call on the HNEC to reduce the number of horizontal polling stations.
(3) We hold the United Nations Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) responsible for obstructing the legal track related to the approval of the Constitutional Rule.
(4) We draw the attention of the members of the Libyan House of Representatives that they have exceeded their legal tenure, and call on the chairmanship of the House of Representatives to include the discussion of the Constitutional Rule in the upcoming sessions of the Libyan House of Representatives, and to be broadcasted live in accordance with Article No.10 of the Seventh Amendment to the Constitutional Declaration.
In conclusion, as we issue this statement, we affirm that we will not give up our natural right to demand that the Presidential and Parliamentary elections be held on time, and that the Libyan House of Representatives must expedite the implementation of the Roadmap that is urgently required.
May Peace, Mercy, and Blessings of God be upon you.
Issued on March 24, 2021
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