The Presidency of the House of Representatives said that UN envoy Abdoulaye Bathily's briefing before the Security Council included inaccuracies about the failure of the House of Representatives and the High Council of State to approve the constitutional basis for elections.

A statement released on Monday evening said that Libya's two chambers approved the issuance of an amendment to the Constitutional Declaration of 2011 and that Bathily's briefing ignored “the failure of the rest of the institutions entrusted with important tasks to make the electoral and political process a success.”

The statement added that while the House of Representatives welcomed the support of the international community for elections, and appreciated the role of the UN mission in this regard, it affirms Libyan ownership of the political process as “the only guarantor for the success of initiatives as confirmed by Article 64 from the Libyan Political Agreement."

The statement pointed out that “obstruction and disruption of reconciliation, as well as corruption and waste of public money, are among the most important factors for disrupting the electoral process in the country.” Accusing the UN mission of a double standard when dealing with other parties to the conflict.

The House of Representatives affirmed that it “worked diligently with the High Council of State and the UN mission to accomplish what was required, in light of local and international complications, and accomplished the necessary amount to conduct the elections as soon as possible.”

The House of Representatives expressed its rejection of “blatant interference in Libyan affairs, and prejudice to the efforts of security and law enforcement institutions, when they carry out their work in accordance with the legislation in force, and in full compliance with the regulations governing their work, and in full observance of human rights, and in a manner that guarantees the protection of the supreme interests of the Libyan state.”

It concluded by calling on “the rest of the country’s partners to give priority to the national interest to achieve the will of the Libyan people to hold the presidential and parliamentary elections.”