Libyan Parliament Postpones General Election for 30 Days - Spokesman

CAIRO (Sputnik) - The Libyan parliament has rescheduled the country's general election to 30 days after the results of the presidential election are confirmed, the legislature's spokesman Abdullah Bliheg said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Libyan House of Representatives passed a law on the upcoming general election. However, the lawmakers did not announce their decision to change the date of the vote, which was originally scheduled to take place on the same day as the presidential election, December 24.

"Holding an election 30 days after the confirmation of [the results of] the presidential election was approved in light of the parliament's goal to hold a direct national presidential election without any obstacles," Bliheg said in a statement.

The Tripoli-based Libyan High Council of State has since criticized the new election law.

The civil war between rival Libyan political factions lasted for almost a decade until they managed to negotiate a ceasefire under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva last October. In early February, the Swiss-hosted round of intra-Libyan talks led to the formation of the Government of National Unity, which is supposed to be in charge until the general election.