[Private]

January 11th, 2023

Ghadames, Western Libya

With the return of Aguila Saleh from his trips abroad, the Speaker of the House of Representatives has agreed to attend the constitutional talks in Ghadames proposed by the Presidential Council. The purpose of these talks are to agree upon a proper constitutional framework for the elections to take place, once and for all ending the political deadlock brought on by the inability of both sides to decide on rules and enforcement mechanisms. This failure is what caused the indefinite suspension of elections by the Dbeibah government, prompting the formation of the rival Bashagha cabinet and thus the current tensions caused by dual power in Libya. Major players expected to be in attendance are HoR Speaker Aguila Saleh, Sirte-based Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha, GNU Prime Minister Abdul Dbeibah, President of the Presidential Council Mohamed al-Menfi. Notably missing from the list is LNA commander Khalifa Haftar, though the LNA will be represented by his son Saddam Haftar.

Now that it is the 11th, the delegates have arrived and Bashagha and Saleh present the following proposals for an election roadmap and return to a united government:

• A new unity government. It is clear that one of the largest sources of tension is the rival administrations both claiming to be the representatives of the unity government. As such, the Eastern administration proposes a merger of the two cabinets, wherein Abdul Dbeibah retains his post as prime minister. Meanwhile, Fathi Bashagha takes up the position of Deputy Prime Minister representing Eastern Libya, currently held by Hussein al-Qatrani, and the position of Defence Minister, currently held by Dbeibah himself. Hafed Gaddur, Foreign Affairs Minister of the current Eastern cabinet would also take over that post in this new cabinet. This would divide the most important posts between the East and West, with the Tripoli based government holding Prime Minister and Interior Minister, while the Tobruk government receives Defence and Foreign Affairs.

• Elections to be held on the 24th December, 2023. Fairly self-explanatory, this is both Independence Day and provides ample time for the formation of electoral rolls and presidential campaigns.

• The system of government will be a semi-presidential system. The President will be elected by a popular vote of 50.1% or more. Failure for any one candidate to pass the threshold will trigger a run-off between the two most popular candidates. The President will serve for a 5 year term, after which terms will be based on the constitution adopted at that time. Parliament. Parliamentary elections will occur alongside the Presidential election. They will be conducted on a preferential voting system based on the current electoral districts. It will consist of 80 members elected through universal suffrage. Until then, the current House of Representatives will remain unchanged.

• Prime Minister and Cabinet. The elected President will nominate a Prime Minister, who they will then consult with to choose a cabinet. This cabinet will be presented to the House of Representatives, who will vote to approve it. This requires a simple majority. Failure to approve a cabinet after three attempts will lead to a dissolution of the HoR and new elections.

• Interim Armed Forces. The existence of two rival “Libyan National Armys” is a major obstacle to peace, as is the existence of rogue militias, who obstruct the state’s monopoly on violence. As such, we must create a unified command structure for the legitimate armed forces of both factions in the interest of national stability - the responsibility of building this force will be under the Defence portfolio.

• Election Committee. Arbitrations on the eligibility of candidates, the management of electoral rolls and the ensurance of transparency must be conducted by neutral actors. We propose staffing this committee with members of all three regions to ensure fairness.