The Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR), Aqila Saleh, said that the Head of the High Council of State (HCS) is excused for not knowing legal and constitutional aspects, as they are out of its specialities, saying the HCS wrongly believed that any set of articles could be called a constitutional basis, which is not true.
Saleh said in a televised statement that his agreement with the Head of HCS, Khalid Al-Mishri, was verbal and "it is possible that it will not be implemented, like many other agreements," adding that he had previously agreed with Al-Mishri on the sovereign positions in Bouznika - Morocco, in addition to the unification of authorities, but nothing happened. He also said that Al-Mishri's hand could be stretched forward as he said but it could also be closed.
He indicated that the constitutional document is not the only source of the constitutional basis, and what is issued by the legislative authority is a constitutional basis, stressing that there is no obligation for the HoR to sit with the HCS.
Saleh has previously denied what Al-Mishri announced regarding the agreement of the two chambers on rejecting the military officials' candidacy for presidential elections, saying last Tuesday that he supports the candidacy of everyone, including the military personnel and dual nationals, pointing out that he did not agree with Al-Mishri in Cairo on anything except on one point related to referring the outcomes of the Constitutional Track Committee to the two chambers in accordance with the twelfth constitutional amendment that was issued by the HoR.
Saleh gave the HCS 15 days to respond to the HoR regarding the file of the constitutional basis for elections, and urged the members to assume their responsibility and thwart what he described as a clear conspiracy, warning them of "foreign interference and division", saying that the correct solution is for the HoR to amend the constitutional declaration to establish a basis for elections.