Libya’s legislative bodies stress political process should follow constitutional declaration

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Tripoli, Sep 11 (IANS) Libya’s House of Representatives (HoR) and High Council of State have stressed that the country’s political process should take place within the framework of the Constitutional Declaration and the Political Agreement governing the work of the two councils, with respect for their respective mandates and powers.

The statement was issued following a meeting between HoR President Aguila Saleh and High Council of State President Mohamed Takala, held under the auspices of Turkey.

The two legislative bodies expressed readiness to host the joint “6+6 Committee” in the coming days to enable it to complete its tasks concerning electoral laws, paving the way for elections.

The “6+6 Committee,” jointly formed by the HoR and High Council of State, reached an agreement in June 2023 on laws governing presidential and parliamentary elections. The HoR later adopted amended versions of the electoral laws in October that year, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The High Council of State objected to some of the amendments but backed the version agreed upon by the committee in the Moroccan city of Bouznika, leading to delays in implementing the laws and a halt to the committee’s work amid continued disputes over a unified executive authority and the conditions and procedures for holding elections.

In a later development, the “4+4 Committee” signed a final agreement on Aug. 30 under the auspices of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya. The agreement aims to create conditions for holding presidential and parliamentary elections within no more than 24 months under a single executive authority and unified national institutions.

Key outcomes of the agreement include restructuring the board of the High National Elections Commission and addressing several outstanding issues in the electoral laws, notably allowing military personnel to run and vote in presidential elections and allowing dual nationals to run, provided that the winner relinquishes their non-Libyan citizenship before taking the constitutional oath.

The agreement also sets the number of endorsements required for a presidential candidate at 20,000, and stipulates that the elected HoR will handle the drafting of a permanent constitution for the country.

–IANS

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Cong must apologise over protests, give compensation to NEET aspirants over reporting late: Raj BJP

Jaipur, June 26 (IANS) Rajasthan Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) In-charge Radha Mohan Das Agarwal has launched a sharp attack on the Congress, alleging that political programmes organised during the National Elgibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) examination period adversely affected students and disrupted their future prospects.

Claiming that several aspirants were unable to reach their examination centres due to traffic congestion caused by Congress events, Agarwal on Thursday demanded that the party apologise to the public and provide compensation to affected students.

“Political programmes should not come at the cost of students’ futures. Congress should apologise to the people and pay Rs 5 crore compensation to the students who suffered because of these events,” the BJP leader said.

He alleged that students in Kota were inconvenienced during Rahul Gandhi’s visit ahead of the NEET examination, while traffic disruptions during the filing of nomination papers by the Rajasthan Congress Chief Govind Singh Dotasra allegedly prevented some candidates from reaching their examination centres on time.

Addressing reporters in Ajmer after a meeting with heads of urban local bodies, Agarwal said a strong party organisation is essential for winning political battles.

“We cannot leave the organisation solely dependent on the government. We are preparing our own army. An army is necessary to fight any battle,” he added.

The BJP leader was in Ajmer to participate in programmes organised on the occasion of Samvidhan Hatya Diwas, observed to mark the anniversary of the Emergency imposed in 1975.

When asked to assess the performance of the Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma-led Rajasthan government and speculation surrounding a possible Cabinet expansion in the state, Agarwal avoided direct comment and said such decisions rest with the Chief Minister.

“Does any mother publicly call her child bad? Don’t try to trap me in words. I am not someone who gets trapped in such questions,” he remarked while defending the state government’s performance.

On the possible Cabinet expansion in Rajasthan, Agarwal said any official information would come from Chief Minister Sharma and that internal organisational discussions could not be disclosed publicly.

Launching a strong attack on Congress, the BJP leader added that the Emergency was one of the “darkest chapters in India’s democratic history”.

“The Congress snatched away the rights of ordinary citizens. The British and Mughals were outsiders, but those who imposed the Emergency were our own people. The British were white Britishers; these people became black Britishers,” he said.

He alleged that Congress had crushed democratic rights during the Emergency and accused the party of continuing to carry the same political mindset even after five decades.

“Fifty years have passed, but the Congress has not changed. Its DNA remains the same. Even today, its leaders talk about banning the RSS and display the same mindset that existed during the Emergency,” he said.

Asked about allegations recently levelled by Rajasthan Minister Kirodi Lal Meena against State Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra, Agarwal added that he was not fully aware of the developments.

“I have come directly to Ajmer and have not yet been briefed on the matter. I will first gather information and only then comment,” he said.

Responding to criticism from former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Agarwal added that Opposition leaders are entitled to express their views.

“Gehlot may internally appreciate the government’s work but, as an Opposition leader, he has to criticise us. That is his right. We believe in keeping our critics close; we are not Congress,” he remarked.

Earlier, Agarwal and Rajasthan Urban Development Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra addressed a meeting attended by heads of municipal corporations, municipal councils and municipalities from across the state.

Speaking on upcoming local body elections in the state, Kharra said the Rajasthan government is prepared to conduct polls but is awaiting the report of the OBC Commission.

“The government is ready for elections. The process is linked to the OBC Commission report. If Congress wants immediate elections, it should clearly state whether it wants the elections held without waiting for the report,” he added.

The meeting was attended by representatives from 116 urban local bodies across the state.

–IANS

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Four more Bengal workers apprehended in Manipur for flouting Inner Line Permit rule

Imphal, Dec 29 (IANS) Four more workers from West Bengal have been apprehended for flouting the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in Manipur, taking the total number of violations from other states to 33 this month.

A police official in Imphal said that four workers from West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur (also known as North Dinajpur) were apprehended from Yairipok Bishnunaha water reservoir construction site in Thoubal district on Saturday and they would soon be deported from Manipur to their home state after completing the formalities.

Legal action has been initiated against the four detainees identified as Afsar Ali (22), Md. Sanfaraj (20), Md. Rahamtullah (23) and Sahabaj Alam (20) as per the provisions of the ILP system.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in a post on social media platform X said: “I appeal to all employers, contractors, and residents to cooperate with the authorities in implementing the ILP system effectively.”

Earlier this month, police detected 29 persons in Imphal West district for flouting ILP guidelines and they have been deported and sent to their home states – West Bengal and Assam.

The 29 individuals were working in a bakery in the Mayang Imphal Bengoon area under the Labour Category ILPs. “Their Labour Category ILPs were cancelled and the apprehended 29 individuals have been deported and sent to their respective home states,” the official said.

Manipur Home Department earlier issued instructions to the District Administration concerned and the Deputy Labour Commissioner to conduct a detailed inquiry into such lapses and initiate stern action against the involved government officials.

The Chief Minister had earlier said that the state government has constituted a committee at the state level to review the overall implementation of ILP in the state with the Commissioner (Home) as Chairman and representatives of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Chief Electoral Officer, Land Resource Department, DCs and Senior Superintendent of Police of districts are members.

In view of the unrest in Bangladesh, all the northeastern states, including Manipur, have further strengthened their vigil and drive against the infiltrators.

The ILP under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 is an official travel document that allows an Indian citizen to visit the ILP-enforced state and areas for a limited period and with a specific purpose.

The ILP, which aims to protect the identity and existence of the Indigenous people, has been in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur.

Obtaining the ILP is mandatory for anyone who is not an indigenous inhabitant of these northeastern states and after obtaining the permit, the individual can enter these states for a specified period and specific purpose.

Agitations are being held on and off to promulgate the ILP in Meghalaya.

Following the political crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh, various tribal bodies, and civil society organisations in some northeastern states are demanding enforcement of the ILP very strictly to prevent the influx of illegal immigrants into the northeastern states.

–IANS

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US conducts five strikes on Houthi military site in northern Yemen: Houthi TV

Sanaa, Jan 17 (IANS) The US military conducted five strikes on a Houthi military site in Yemen’s province of Amran to the north of the capital Sanaa on Friday morning, said the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

The strikes hit the outpost in the Harf Sufyan district in northern Amran, said the television, not giving further details, as the rebel group, which controls much of northern Yemen, rarely discloses its casualties or losses.

Residents wrote on social media that they heard a series of loud explosions at dawn from the Houthi military outpost, where weapons are stored underneath rocky hills.

The US Central Command has not commented yet on the strikes, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Houthi military site, along with other military outposts in other northern provinces and the capital Sanaa, has been frequently targeted by US air raids since January 2024.

The fresh strikes came a few hours after the group’s leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi vowed in a televised speech that his group would continue launching long-range rocket attacks on Israel if the Israeli forces kept raiding the Gaza Strip before the implementation of the announced Gaza ceasefire deal.

“Our military operations will continue in support of the Palestinian people if the Israeli enemy continues its genocidal massacres and escalation before implementing the ceasefire agreement,” said Houthi group’s leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi in a televised speech aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah satellite TV channel.

“We will keep an open eye on the stages of implementing the ceasefire agreement (in Gaza), and if Israel makes any breach or massacre at any phase of implementing the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, we will be ready immediately for conducting a military support for the Palestinian people,” the Houthi leader said.

“The United States is working to end Hamas’s role in the future, but it will fail,” he said.

The Houthi leader also said that his group has launched “1255 attacks” against Israeli cities, Israeli-linked ships, and US warships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023, nearly three weeks after the Israel-Hamas war broke out.

–IANS

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