Crown Prince of Former Libyan Kingdom Initiates National Dialogue for Democratic Model

Crown Prince of the Former Libyan Kingdom Mohammed El-Senoussi initiated National Dialogue within the scope of the Libyan Independence Day on December 24. El-Senoussi said "We have launched a new Libya-led National Dialogue that is addressing these issues, re-creating a genuine national consensus for returning to a democratic model that can work in Libya. This new National Dialogue has been a significant development since the last Independence Day."

Crown Prince of the Former Libyan Kingdom, Mohammed El-Senoussi made the following remarks in his statements;

"Two crucial longer-term shifts can in large part explain the difficulties Libya has faced in finding a path to stability and progress over the last decade. Over the past few months, we have launched a Libya-led initiative to try and reverse these shifts and create the conditions for a solution that can secure a better future for our country.

The first of these detrimental shifts is that Libya has forgotten the way to create the unifying national consensus that was first built in the pre 1951 Independence era. Creating national consensus for joining three provinces into a unified independent country for the first time in its history, for example, was how Libya came into being on 24th December 1951.  After the coup in 1969, Libya was governed through force, not consensus.  In the last decade, after the former regime's collapse, the country has tried to find a way back to a national consensus, but after multiple attempts and with international support, Libyans have not regained it.

"A NEW LIBYA-LED NATIONAL DIALOGUE"

The second significant shift was losing the democratic path that Libya had been on until the 1969 coup. In 1951, Libya was founded as a constitutional democratic monarchy, with a written constitution that provided for a parliamentary democracy with adult suffrage, an independent judiciary and separation of powers. Libyan citizens had rights more advanced than in many other democracies at that time, with the period between 1951 to 1969 being referred to by many Libyans as our country's "Golden Era". But after the 1969 coup, this democratic path was lost to a dictatorship. The various attempts over the past decade to restore democracy to Libya have failed because the form of democracy being implemented does not fit. Libya has a unique history and country, with competing affiliations to tribe, region, city, ethnicity and other, that cannot be successfully incorporated into the form of democracy being considered.

However, over the past few months, we have launched a new Libya-led National Dialogue that is addressing these issues, re-creating a genuine national consensus for returning to a democratic model that can work in Libya. This new National Dialogue has been a significant development since the last Independence Day."

"LIBYAN DEMOCRATIC MODEL WAS BUILT ON A PLATFORM OF A CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY"

"It is actually democracy restoration which is at the centre of things. As I mentioned, Libya's democratic model was built on a platform of a constitutional monarchy, as this is the form of democracy that best fits Libya's unique demography and history. But it is a democracy at heart. There are many other models of democratic constitutional monarchy in the world today including in Sweden, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Malaysia and Japan. These are amongst the world's most successful and contemporary democracies. Each evolved from, and is consistent with, the country's own history, culture and national identity. It was the same in Libya.

To rebuild national consensus in Libya for returning to our own democratic model, one that works for us Libyans, I am working actively in the footsteps of our forefathers who succeeded once before in this endeavour.

An important fact that has been under-appreciated, is that Libya faced similar, though of course not identical, challenges immediately after World War II. The ravages of the multi-decade Italian colonization, World War II itself where Libya was a field of battle, set in the context of the same tribal, regional and ethnic affiliations and fissures you see today, combined to create a political landscape possibly even worse than we face today. But Libya found a way out to herald in its Golden Era immediately after.

It did so by relying on its own cultural and historic norms, falling back on its own national identity, to implement political processes and constructs that had intrinsic legitimacy, the necessary national significance to be unifying, as well as the necessary symbols and institutions that fostered loyalty and patriotism to make reconciliation and nation building possible.

A similar mechanism and approach is what the new Libyan National Dialogue is about. After years of failed political experimentation, this is perhaps now the only approach that can succeed. This new National Dialogue is meticulously organized in phases, prioritizing inclusivity, reconciliation, legitimacy and national unity built on a celebration of Libya's diversity and national identity."

"THE FORMULA FOR A GOVERNANCE SYSTEM CAN AGAIN WORK IN LIBYA"

"The Libyan crisis is systemic and multifaceted. To address our issues, we need to adopt a governance system founded on a constitution, with properly working institutions that can deliver the aspirations of the Libyan people.

As I have explained above, the formula we have available for a governance system that can again work in Libya, is the one that worked before. The 1951 Independence Constitution describes it in detail. It is a practical, workable, living, democratic formula, and the only one with the necessary legitimacy, won through a national consensus reached when Libya faced very similar problems to the ones it faces again today.

The new National Dialogue we have recently launched, aims to build the necessary national consensus to restore the Independence Constitution. Once constitutional governance is restored, with institutions of state in place, then Libya will be able to manage its resources transparently and with accountability, to build the future for our country that our people rightly deserve."

"TURKEY'S MANY CAPABILITIES AND EXPERTISE IN DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH"

"Turkey is a significant and important country on the world stage with whom Libya has had a long and successful history. Not only because of this historical relationship, but also because of Turkey's many capabilities and expertise in development and growth, it will be an important partner and ally helping Libya with its urgent needs across multiple sectors.

Turkey's economy is diverse, from agriculture to industry and services, and can offer valuable expertise and resources for Libya's development across multiple sectors. Having recognised the importance of Turkey's potential role in Libya's reconstruction and sustainable development, we would encourage Turkey, alongside other nations with an affinity for our country, to support the new Libyan National Dialogue that we are now pursuing."

"GOOD GOVERNANCE IS A FOCUS ON A WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION SYSTEM"

"Simply put, the youth are Libya's future. But their ability to participate in Libya's governance has been severely restricted due to the current state of chaos in our country. Understandably, Libya's youth have been growing steadily more impatient because there has been no progress.

A key part of good governance is a focus on a world-class education system to empower Libya's youth with the knowledge and skills necessary to compete and succeed in the modern age of high technology and continuous innovation. It is the youth that will create the new companies and industries Libya needs to grow its economy productively. It is the youth's energy and ambition that will catapult Libya forward to find its rightful place in the world as a successful nation.

I have no doubt that the youth are ready, willing and able to engage in helping build a new and successful Libya. We must now return to a proper unified functioning country to make sure they are given the opportunity to do so."