22-28 Nov: HoR Approves LPA Amendments

Nov 28, 2017 | Libyan actors

On 20 November, UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame’s proposed amendments to the 2015 Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) were passed by the House of Representatives (HoR).  The amendments have been the subject of UN-led talks between the delegations from HoR and the High Council of State (HCS) since September. The amendments were reportedly passed by a majority vote, although insiders say that only 30 people voted out of the 70 that initially attended the session.

On 23 November, the HCS President Abdurrahman Swehli issued a statement rejecting the HoR vote stating that both the HoR and HCS must come to a consensus when considering amendments to the constitution. The HCS also reportedly held a session to discuss Swehli’s proposal of holding elections for a government of technocrats within six months if the current UN roadmap fails to deliver.

On 27 November, Salame met with Swehli in Tripoli, as well as with the head of the HoR’s dialogue committee, reportedly stressing the importance of the HoR’s approval of the current round of LPA amendments. He also met with Government of National Accord (GNA) Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj. On 28 November, Salame travelled to Misrata to meet key political players there and then will travel on to Benghazi where it is believed he will meet with Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar.

On 25 November, the head of the Sabratha Military Council, Taher al-Gharabli, lashed out at the GNA after Serraj formally dissolved the council and the affiliated ‘48’ Brigade, transferring their responsibilities and operations to the Anti-ISIS Operations Room (AIOR).

Three people in Zawiyya were killed on 23 November. On 27 November, reports indicated that rival forces were mobilizing in the city and that one person was killed. On 25 November, four fighters from the Misratan Joint Operations room died as they tried to arrest the perpetrators of an attack in Khoms that left 7 people dead last week.