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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat

President of Libyan House of Representatives: Presidential Election Only Solution

President of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh. Reuters

President of the Libyan House of Representatives Aguila Saleh has called for holding presidential elections as being the only solution to end the country’s bitter conflict for many years now.

In a TV interview on Saturday, Saleh said that those who are opposing these elections "want to remain in power."

He also considered that the continuation of the conflict is "a deliberate conspiracy that creates an excuse for external interventions in Libya’s internal affairs and violates the sovereignty and independence of the state” and urged to unite ranks to end the crisis faced by the country.

Saleh stressed that the elections will “bring all parties out of the scene in a peaceful and democratic way, without falling into a political vacuum and a new conflict.”

“The unification of institutions and the formation of a national government that will meet all citizens' requirements will enable the House of Representatives to monitor and hold them accountable,” he said, adding that Libyans should hold the deputies accountable for not attending the meetings.

Also, armed clashes in the Libyan capital have left 115 killed and 560 injured since August 27 and up until September 22, the field hospital of the Injured Affairs Department reported. It added that 17 persons are still missing due to the clashes.

"The killed are both civilian and military individuals in addition to foreign workers and unidentified persons. There are 383 injured whose cases are between serious and medium while 117 others have simple injuries." the hospital explained in an official statement.

The Department added that 156 families had been evacuated from different clashes' zones and 264 others were given lifesaving aids.

Reuters reported that armed groups from outside Tripoli launched an assault on the capital in late August amid unease over reports of the wealthy and extravagant lifestyles of some Tripoli militia commanders.

At the Frontline in Tripoli’s southern residential areas of Wadi Rabea and Fatma Zahra, shelled houses, torched vehicles, destroyed shops and deserted streets attest to the intensity of the clashes.

The fighting has knocked out most power stations in the city and crippled Tripoli’s main airport, Reuters added.

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