The head of the High Council of State (HCS), Mohammed Takala, has warned that one of the greatest challenges facing countries after revolutions is attempts to bypass the will of the people, emphasizing that legitimacy “is not granted by unilateral decisions nor imposed by the force of the status quo; it derives from the free will of the people.”On the anniversary of the February 17 revolution, Takala said that safeguarding the revolution’s goals requires adherence to legitimacy and rejecting unilateral measures that threaten the unity of the state. He pledged to continue efforts to enable Libyans to elect their leadership through fair elections. Takala also stressed that building the state is a responsibility shared by the entire nation, noting that the revolution marked the start of a long journey toward “a state of institutions, not individuals; a state of the people, not the authority of the status quo.”

Source: Libya Observer February 18, 2026 11:20 UTC