UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The top UN envoy for Libya on Wednesday warned that the increasing division within the Libyan judicial system has serious consequences for the country's unity.
After Libya's House of Representatives established a Supreme Constitutional Court in Benghazi in 2023, it began issuing rulings parallel to the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court in the country's capital Tripoli, creating conflicting judgments on key constitutional and legislative matters, said Hanna Serwaa Tetteh, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Libya.
"These contradictory, parallel judicial decisions put into jeopardy the unity of the legal and judicial systems," she said during a Security Council briefing, warning that if actions are not taken to preserve the unity, coherence and independence of the judiciary, the conflicting legal systems will impact the country's economy, elections, governance, security and human rights.
On Libya's economy, she said that the country's economic trajectory is "in a downturn," and the Libyan people are suffering from currency devaluation, rising prices and persistent fuel shortages.
The envoy said that deteriorating conditions could trigger unexpected political and security challenges. "The only way forward is a political solution." ■