BOUZNIKA, Morocco
Envoys of rival Libyan factions have agreed on the legal steps to hold much delayed presidential and legislative elections in the conflict-scarred nation, both sides said on Wednesday.
"The members... have
agreed the laws for presidential and legislative elections," Jalal
Chouehdi, who represents the east-based parliament, told reporters in the
southern Moroccan city of Bouznika.
"All that is left is for
parliament to ratify" the texts of the accord, added Omar Boulifa,
representative for the High State Council (HSC) aligned with the Tripoli-based
administration.
Morocco's Foreign Minister
Nasser Bourita said the agreements would be signed "in the coming
days" by Aguila Saleh, speaker of Libya's east-based parliament, and
Khaled al-Mechri who heads the HSC.
The country remains split
between a nominally interim government in Tripoli in the west, and another in
the east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
Presidential and legislative
elections have been repeatedly delayed over issues including their legal basis
and the participation of controversial candidates including Haftar.
The talks in Bouznika, the
latest attempt by both sides to reach a deal, had been underway since May 22.
Elections were due to be held
in December 2021 but were never organized as differences persisted on key
issues including who should run in the polls.
Libya has been torn by more
than a decade of stop-start conflict since a 2011 revolt toppled strongman Muammar
Kadhafi, with a myriad of militias forming opposing alliances backed by foreign
powers.
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