Libya to vote on permanent constitution in January

By Jihad Nasr

TRIPOLI

Libya will hold a referendum on the country’s permanent constitution in January, the electoral commission said Thursday.

“The vote will be held in the first half of January,” commission chief Emad al-Sayeh told a press conference in the capital Tripoli.

Results of the vote will be announced by the end of February “if things go well”, he added.

On Sep. 14, East Libya-based parliament passed a law to vote on a permanent referendum after a year-long deadlock.

“The election commission has completed all preparations for holding the referendum,” al-Sayeh said.

The commission chief called for “political consensus” regarding the referendum law.

"Unfortunately, the position of some political parties is still vague and we don’t see any welcome or support from any party," he said.

No Libyan party has yet announced their official positions on the vote.

Libya has remained dogged by turmoil since when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Currently, two rival seats of power are vying for supremacy in Libya: an internationally recognized national unity government based in Tripoli, and a government supported by a legislative assembly based in the eastern city of Tobruk.