Elections of the Supreme Council of State

Preface :

The elections of the High Council of State represented a milestone in the Libyan political situation, Especially if we take into account the role played by his president “Khaled Al-Meshri” for five consecutive years, After his success in the elections for the presidency of the Council in 2018.

It should be noted that, The political path adopted by the President of the High Council of State, “Khaled Al-Meshri”, It is a path that differs from his predecessor, “Abdul Rahman Al-Swehli”, the first president of the High Council of State – after the Skhirat Agreement, Nouri Abu Sahmin, head of the General National Congress, lost his position due to the Skhirat Agreement.

Despite the many political milestones that have occurred in the political arena, Such as the war on the capital, the Berlin agreement, the Geneva dialogue, and the choice of the national unity government, Al-Mishri was able in most of these stages to deal with political flexibility sometimes, And political opportunism at other times that guarantees its effectiveness in the scene, However, the clash with the Government of National Unity has cost Khaled Al-Meshri his presence at the helm of the Council, In addition to the exclusivity paths that provoked the anger of the members of the Council and the indignation of other political partners.

State Council Elections Behind the Scenes

The elections that took place on the seventh of August this year, Elections four months behind schedule based on last year’s re-extension, This means that the term of office of the presidency has been extended by four months beyond what is stipulated in the regulation.

The bottom line The elections come as a referendum on the political path adopted by the President of the High Council of State regarding the unification of the executive authority, The bilateral relationship with Aguila Saleh can be classified as a parallel track to the current political scene with regard to government work and the executive branch.

national unity government, It is the most prominent winner of the loss of Al-Meshri, who passed the roadmap in a meeting marred by legal impurities related to the quorum, However, the roadmap was voted on by 34 votes to be on the agenda of the High Council of State. This map contains the path of voting on the selection of a unified government between the House of Representatives and the Supreme Council of State. Which gives the State Council a basic space in the selection, recommendation and revision of candidates and their passage to the House of Representatives for selection after that.

This path prepares, a path that threatens the existence of the national unity government, forcing the government to take a hostile stance from the entire High Council of State, Until its members are prevented from traveling from Mitiga airport, which is not a new event for the relationship between the government and the Council, The Council was surrounded by military vehicles before that, To prevent its members from holding a session at the Mahari Hotel last winter.

In this sense, The relationship between the orientation of the Council represented by its President “Khaled Al-Meshri” and the Government of National Unity has reached the peak of intensity and challenge between the two parties, The government has also resorted to intimidation, force and clear restrictions on the council.

The government was able in one way or another to direct the circumstances and events before the elections in its favor by supporting “Muhammad Tekala”, a member of the High Council of State, to be the rival of “Khaled Al-Meshri”.

The government was able, with a guarantee, to neutralize a major opponent in the Libyan political scene, sigh of relief, With the departure of “Khaled Al-Meshri” from the presidency of the High Council of State, She also breathed a sigh of relief before that by referring Fathi Bashagha for investigation. His deputy assumed his duties as Prime Minister of the government mandated by the House of Representatives.

Private and informed sources confirm, The government delegates have co-opted members of the High Council of State by promises to appoint them to the boards of directors of some companies and sovereign centers, And the embassies of some countries in Africa, In addition to buying votes with financial values that reached half a million Libyan dinars.

The path of Akila Saleh Khaled Al-Mishri is falling apart

By defeating “Khaled Al-Meshri” and losing the presidency of the Supreme Council, The level of harmony and convergence between the presidencies of the two chambers, has been subjected beyond reasonable doubt to a clear breach, What puts the relationship between the two chambers in the first box, It is the rigid official coordination away from the main political consensuses between Al-Mishri and Aguila Saleh, This was followed by the rise of the Government of National Unity, which was a common rival for the presidency of the two chambers, which sought in several ways to overthrow the government and replace it with another government.

The results of the elections of the High Council of State are destructive to the path of “Aguila + Meshri”, which passed through many stations, the first of which was Rabat and the last of which was Bouznika passing through Geneva. It is a path, even if it appears to be twisted in its stations and passed through several slides and cracks, However, in general, it was voluntary for the project to extend the life of the two chambers and to disrupt the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections, This is attested by the laws of the (6 + 6) Committee, which contained in its contents what can be described as explosive materials for the electoral process from within, Its procedure is held with the approval and supervision of the Presidents of the two Chambers.

Despite the fact that Tekala supported the path of the government of “Fathi Bashagha” previously, However, the personality of “Khaled Al-Meshri” and his impulsiveness and positions towards various political issues, stemming from factors that the current chairman of the council, “Mohamed Tekala”, does not have, The current circumstances do not enable him to practice any similar activities, Especially when he came with the Government of National Unity in a direct deal with it, This may make government dominance of the council highly likely.

The Government of National Unity is the biggest winner

Talking about the winners in the elections of the Supreme Council of State, The main winner in it is the government of national unity, which bet on the fall of Al-Mishri, And it sought to blockade it before that political, financial, and even on the social level through targeted media campaigns, It sought to strike at the High Council of State and place it in the House of Representatives as part of the campaign “Down with the House of Representatives and the High Council of State.”

Based on the above, The government’s chances of exploiting the victory of its candidate or those allied with him in the elections can be seen in one context. It is the context of resolving the risks related to the removal of the existence of the government’s proposal as an optional path for a third government and the unification of the executive branch, In addition to charting a new course of negotiations with Haftar and his representative in the House of Representatives, And the manufacture of new understandings in extending its authority over the sovereign institutions in the country, Such as the Audit Bureau, the Central Bank, Administrative Control and others, This opens the way comprehensively for the Government of National Unity with its partner in the east of the country, Haftar, to encroach on the political scene. In light of the absence of a clear agenda at the procedural level of the elections on the table and the absence of decisive international attention to their achievement, And the international preoccupation with the African problem, And the ability of the unity government to present itself internationally as a party in control of the government scene and official institutions.

Accordingly, The path that the government will adopt – according to leaks – is to seek pressure for parliamentary elections in which “Debiba” strengthens its political presence, Especially with the general sense of achievement at the executive level of his government, In addition to the popular tributary that the government has temporarily, Which gives great opportunities for more achievements on the ground, In the event that the government can convince the mission and the international parties of the ability to accomplish it without violations and negative results.

The bottom line:

The unity government breathed a sigh of relief with the defeat of “Khaled Al-Meshri” in the State Council elections, The government also ensured the neutralization of the thirteenth constitutional amendment under the name of unifying the executive authority by agreement of the two chambers.

The unity government also strengthened its presence in the presidency of the High Council of State, With the victory of “Mohamed Tekala”, who the government sought by all means to assume the presidency of the High Council of State, It breaks five years of Al-Meshri’s monopoly on the presidency of the Council.

Aguila Saleh is the most prominent loser, From the defeat of Al-Mishri, Especially after the level of harmony in the political maneuvers that the two men have reached, The government is also the biggest winner, which will allow it to extend its authority over the political scene more deeply and expand to sovereign institutions in understanding with Haftar and his bloc within the House of Representatives.

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