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Advisors discuss latest dev after elections delay in Libya

Special Adviser to the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General for Libya, Stephanie Williams, said she met with Libya’s National Security Adviser, Ibrahim Bushnaf, on Monday to discuss the latest developments in the North African country.

“We stressed the importance of preserving momentum for the electoral process, pressing forward on national reconciliation and building consensus on a national vision for Libya’s security,” Williams tweeted.

Libya had been expecting a presidential election on December 24, 2021, but the election has been postponed indefinitely over technical and legal issues, according to the country’s High National Elections Commission.

The Commission announced a few days ago a proposal to postpone the presidential election to late January.

The Libyan House of Representatives has thus formed a committee to design a new roadmap to address the failure to hold the election on time and to determine the fate of the current interim government.

The election is part of a roadmap adopted by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, with the aim to bring stability in Libya following years of political division and insecurity.

The Libyan parliamentary elections, originally planned to be held on the same day as the presidential poll, have also been postponed to this January. 

Libya’s House of Representatives, the parliament, urged on Monday the High National Elections Commission to propose a new date for the presidential election as soon as possible.

The House of Representatives made the call in a statement after a parliament session, during which 80 of its members gathered to hear the briefing of the Commission’s head on the failure to hold the presidential election on schedule.

“The High National Elections Commission should communicate with all departments and agencies involved in the electoral process in order to lift the state of force majeure and set a new date for the elections,” said the statement.

According to Emad al-Sayeh, head of High National Elections Commission, “conflicting legal rulings that were not released on time and threats made to the Commission against publishing the final list of presidential candidates containing certain names” were among the factors that prevented the presidential election from taking place on time.

Presidential election in Libya was scheduled for December 24, 2021. However, along with the parliamentary elections, it was postponed indefinitely over technical and legal issues, according to the Commission. -Xinhua

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