Stephanie Williams said it is “very reasonable and possible” for the country’s 2.8 million voters to vote by June, which is in line with the UN-brokered 2020 roadmap.
A senior UN official said it was pushing Libya to hold elections by June, as the county missed the December deadline to elect its first president since 2011 and the longtime dictator. Murdered Mummer Gaddafi.
UN Special Adviser on Libya Stephanie Williams The Associated Press It came late on 16 January that it is “very reasonable and possible” for the country’s 2.8 million voters to vote by June, in line with the UN-brokered 2020 roadmap.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a report received on 17 January to the UN Security Council The Associated PressSaid it is important that all parties in Libya “focus on holding free, fair, inclusive and credible presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible”. The wishes of the 2.8 million Libyans “must be respected”, he said, and that Libyan authorities and institutions “must now work together to address the fundamental issues that have resulted in the postponement and necessary political action.” and create security conditions. To hold presidential and parliamentary elections without delay”. Libya failed to schedule its first presidential election on December 24, a major blow to international efforts to end a decade-long chaos in the oil-rich Mediterranean nation.
Ms Williams, who led UN efforts to end the latest bout of violence in Libya in 2020, said the country needed elections to give credibility to its institutions.
“All institutions are facing a crisis of legitimacy,” she said. “I see no other exit for Libya than a peaceful political process.” The country plunged into turmoil after the NATO-backed 2011 uprising and split into rival governments – one in the east, backed by military commander Khalifa Hifter, and the other, in the west by a UN-backed administration in the capital of Tripoli. Each side is supported by a variety of militias and foreign powers.
In April 2019, Mr Hifter and his forces, backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, launched an offensive to try to capture Tripoli. Their campaign collapsed after Turkey and Qatar stepped up their military support of the Tripoli government with hundreds of Turkish soldiers and thousands of Syrian mercenaries.
Mediated by the United Nations, an October 2020 ceasefire led to the formation of a transitional government and elections scheduled for 24 December. But the vote faced huge challenges which eventually forced it to be postponed.
Ms Williams urged lawmakers, who convened in the eastern city of Tobruk on Monday, “to agree on a clear, time-bound process with clear horizons and not an open-ended process”. “They still have a great responsibility to fulfill in respecting the wishes of the Libyans who register to vote,” he said. “The Libyan people want an end to this long period of transition that the country has experienced since the events of 2011.” The election deadline was missed after bitter disputes over the laws governing the electoral process. The outbreak of fighting between armed factions and the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and soldiers in the North African country also fueled mistrust among rival groups.
Controversial figures announcing runs for the presidency have further polarized the political landscape in recent months. Among them are Mr Hifter, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dabeba and Seif al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of the deposed dictator and one-time successor. Opponents of Mr. Hifter and Mr. Gaddafi have said they will never accept his election victory.
The country’s election commission did not name the final list of candidates for presidential and parliamentary elections. Commission chief Imad al-Sayeh told parliament on Monday that militias threatened to halt the electoral process if the final list was announced.
Mr Al-Sayeh said the commission needed between six and eight months to prepare for the election, postponing the December 24 vote given the daunting challenges.
Influential parliament speaker Aguila Saleh said on Monday that the house would cooperate with the judiciary and interior ministry to work out a road map so that elections could be held. He did not give any time limit. A legislative committee tasked with overseeing the electoral process is due to submit a report on how to proceed later this month.
Ms Williams said lawmakers and leaders in Tripoli should resolve disputes over election rules. He did not see the departure of foreign mercenaries as a “prerequisite for the elections”, adding that maintaining the ceasefire is a priority.
“There have been mercenaries in Libya since the 1970s,” she later said, “I don’t believe this is a card that is necessary to play at this point in time.” Ms Williams also said that all factions should accept the consequences no matter who wins. “The way to solve this is to (allow) Libyan voters to go to the ballot box and make their choice,” she said. “The consequences need to be respected.” Secretary-General Guterres called on all Libyan parties “before, during and after the election to respect the rights of their political opponents, to accept the results, to commit to and respect the code of conduct drawn up by the Higher National Election Commission”. Called upon. And support the independence and unity of the judiciary.” He encouraged regional and international organizations to send observers to oversee the elections “in order to increase the credibility and acceptance of ballot results”. Delaying the vote also threatens to open a power vacuum, and major Western players have urged the transitional government to remain in power in Libya until a vote is taken to avoid chaos and confusion.
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