Tripoli: The President of the Presidential Council, Mohammed Al-Menfi, issued a decision on Sunday, to establish a commission for referendum and national inquiry; It shall enjoy a legal personality and independent financial status, and its headquarters shall be in the city of Tripoli, and its mission shall be to implement the referendum, supervise it, sort its results and announce them.
The President of the Presidential Council’s decision No. (79) stipulated in its first article the tasks of the established commission to present one of the legislative, political or administrative issues to the people for a referendum and take their opinion on it, and the results of the referendum are binding on all parties and entities in the state, considering it as the source of authorities to support, approve or reject any issue presented to it, while the national inquiry is a neutral poll of the people’s opinion on a topic before starting the referendum process according to it or on a decision based on it.
The decision
stipulated that the established National Commission for Referendum and National Inquiry shall have a Board of Directors, which shall be the executive body of the Commission. The Commission, headquartered in Tripoli, may exercise its duties in any other city upon the approval of the President of the Presidential Council. It shall have branches within Libya, and its decisions shall be public and no interference in its jurisdiction shall be permitted.
The Board of Directors of the Commission, according to the decision, shall consist of a legal advisor known for his experience, competence and merit as Chairman of the Board, and a representative of the Bar Association, the heads of 5 Libyan universities, a member of the General Postal and Information Technology Company, a member of the Holding Company for Telecommunications, a member of the General Telecommunications Authority, a member of the General Information Authority, and a member of the Statistics and Census Authority. A decision shall be issued to form th
e Board of Directors of the Commission by the President of the Presidential Council.
The decision specified the Commission’s competencies in implementing, preparing for and supervising the referendum and national inquiry, sorting its results and announcing them. It has the authority to issue executive regulations and procedures necessary to implement the referendum process according to the electoral districts approved in accordance with the applicable legislation.
The decision allowed the Commission to, in order to achieve its objectives, accredit local and international observers as well as local and international media professionals in a manner that ensures the integrity of the referendum process through direct or indirect presentation, while ensuring neutrality and transparency to achieve its specific objectives, provided that the topics that require the referendum process are determined and its results are approved by the President of the Presidential Council.
A decision shall be issued to approve the
organizational structure of the Commission by the President of the Presidential Council, specifying its competencies and the competencies of all administrative units and their tasks in a manner that does not conflict with this decision based on a proposal from the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Commission.
The decision stipulated that the Chairman of the Board of Directors and members of the Commission shall take the following legal oath before the President of the Presidential Council before assuming their duties: I swear by God Almighty to abide by the provisions of the Constitutional Declaration, to respect the law, and to perform my duty with honesty, truthfulness, honor, morals, and complete neutrality with complete transparency and integrity in performing my duties, and God is witness to what I say.
Source: Libyan News Agency