Tunis, 21 April 2016 – Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Martin Kobler takes note of the statement issued on 21 April by members of the House of Representative supportive of the Libyan Political Agreement and the Government of National Accord.

Mr. Kobler expressed his profound disappointment at today’s inability of the House of Representatives to hold a vote on the proposed Government of National Accord and on amending the Constitutional Declaration.

“I find it regrettable that yet again a clear majority of members of the House of Representatives are denied the opportunity to exercise their intrinsic democratic right as elected representatives of the Libyan people to uphold the pivotal role of the House as a legislative and monitoring body at this critical juncture of the political process.

Describing today’s developments in Tobruk as a setback to ongoing efforts to bring an end to the institutional divide in Libya and to bring peace to the Libyan people who have suffered far too long as a result of the conflict, Mr. Kobler paid tribute to the spirit and courage of parliamentarians who gathered in Tobruk over the past few days. He urged them to remain faithful to their constituents and to continue upholding their responsibilities in exercising their duties without obstruction, threat or intimidation.