The United Nations envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, expressed recently that the proposed electoral laws have not effectively addressed contentious matters and are insufficient to facilitate the conduct of elections.
Efforts in diplomacy have long prioritized the election of a new president and parliament as crucial for resolving years of conflict in Libya. However, the country’s rival political entities have consistently failed to reach a consensus on the necessary rules.
While speaking to the United Nations Security Council, Bathily acknowledged that the recently agreed-upon electoral laws, formulated by a committee comprising members from Libya’s two legislative bodies, represent “an important step forward.”
Nevertheless, he emphasized that these laws alone are “not sufficient to resolve the most contested issues and enable successful elections.” Bathily highlighted the ongoing disagreements among opposing factions in Libya, cautioning that these disagreements could potentially “trigger a new crisis.”
According to Bathily, several issues with the proposed laws have emerged, including disputes surrounding the eligibility of presidential candidates and the requirement to establish a new interim government before conducting any elections.
Furthermore, he highlighted that the requirement to hold a second round of voting, even if a candidate secures more than half of the votes, and the potential cancellation of parliamentary elections if the first round of the presidential election fails, have also been subjects of contention.
Bathily’s remarks were made shortly after Aguila Saleh, the speaker of the eastern-based parliament, expressed his support for the majority of the proposed laws, stating that they pave the way for elections. Saleh also emphasized that the UN envoy does not hold the authority to issue instructions.
Since the NATO-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has experienced limited stability and security. It became divided in 2014 between opposing factions in the east and west, although major conflicts have been relatively subdued since a ceasefire was established in 2020.
However, efforts to achieve a sustainable political resolution through national elections faced obstacles in late 2021 when the vote was canceled due to disagreements over the rules, including the role of the interim government that was installed earlier that year.
Subsequently, a political impasse has persisted between factions supporting the interim government and those, including Saleh, who advocate for its replacement.
Saleh announced on Monday that both the parliament and the High State Council, the other legislative body, would “assume their responsibilities to form a government and a law leading to elections”.
