UN adviser says Libyan joint committee reached consensus on 137 articles of draft constitution

The United Nations’ secretary general’s special adviser on Libya, Stephanie Williams, said on Friday that the Joint Committee between the Libyan House of Representatives and the High Council of State on Constitutional Track has reached “an initial consensus” on 137 articles of a draft constitution.

“I am particularly pleased that you were able to agree on Chapter 2 on the rights and freedoms, as well as on the Chapters on legislative and judicial authority,’ Williams said in a statement.

The developments were welcomed by the parliament-appointed prime minister, Fathi Bashagha, who said that the “rapprochement between the House of Representatives and the High Council of State … will allow for a transition of power via elections that reflect the will of the Libyan people”.

In March, Williams invited the parliament and High State Council to each nominate six members for a joint committee on Libya’s constitutional arrangements.

Libya’s political process fell apart in December with the collapse of a scheduled election, with major factions and political bodies pushing opposing plans for the path ahead and backing rival governments.