The Presidency of the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) issued an official statement welcoming the ruling issued by Al-Zawiya Court of First Instance obligating the High National Elections Commission (HNEC) to put the draft constitution completed in 2017 to a general public referendum.
The CDA called on the HNEC to comply with the court’s decision and implement it, warning that obstructing the Constitutional Declaration is an act criminalized by provisions of the penal code.
The CDA clarified that the ruling of the court comes in line with what is stipulated in the Interim Constitutional Declaration, which entrusted it alone with the task of drafting the country’s permanent constitution, stressing the right of the Libyan people to comment on its actions through a general referendum in accordance with legal procedures.
The statement promised that this path is a correct beginning for ending foreign interference in Libya, and that holding legislative and executive elections in accordance with the provisions of the country’s permanent constitution will be possible after the implementation of the referendum.
It also called on all internal and external parties to respect the sovereignty of the Libyan people, stand by the texts of their laws and judicial rulings, and take all measures to open the door to the referendum.
On May 28, Al-Zawiya Court of First Instance issued a decision obligating the HNEC to put the draft constitution to a public referendum, according to a press statement at the time by lawyer Abdul Bari Khair, who added that he and other lawyers filed a case against the HNEC in order to hold the referendum quickly, and after postponing it several times.
