HNEC Urges Politicians to ‘Pave Way’ for Elections in Libya

The meeting of the High National Elections Commission in Libya, Tripoli. (HNEC)
The meeting of the High National Elections Commission in Libya, Tripoli. (HNEC)
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HNEC Urges Politicians to ‘Pave Way’ for Elections in Libya

The meeting of the High National Elections Commission in Libya, Tripoli. (HNEC)
The meeting of the High National Elections Commission in Libya, Tripoli. (HNEC)

The High National Elections Commission (HNEC) reiterated its readiness to implement the electoral laws, urging political parties to complete the requirements to hold the elections during the period determined by the constitutional amendment.

In a statement on Monday, the HNEC stressed that it operates independently and does not represent any political authority.

The Commission further lauded the efforts of the Joint 6+6 Committee and urged all parties to work together to hold the long-awaited “historic and fateful” polls.

President of the High Council of StateMohamed Takala held talks in Tripli on Sunday with head of HNEC Imad Al-Sayeh about the challenges that facing the commission and the elections and ways to overcome them.

The officials tackled the position of the High Council of State on the outcomes of the 6+6 Committee talks. The council had committed to the agreements reached in Morocco’s Bouznika and considered any amendment after that to be a violation of the Constitutional Declaration and law.

Takala stressed the need for the Commission to adhere to the Constitutional Declaration and what the parliament and council had agree upon in all impartiality.

Meanwhile, head of the Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah announced that the Tripoli International Airport would be reopened in mid-2024.

He made his remarks at an aviation seminar organized by the Ministry of Transportation.

Also on Sunday, Dbeibah discussed economic and political cooperation during a meeting with Turkish Ambassador to Libya, Kenan Yilmaz. He thanked Türkiye for its efforts in supporting the Libyans after the devastating floods in the east.

He also met with Italian Ambassador to Libya Gianluca Alberini for talks on bilateral economic cooperation, and the opening of new flight routes between Libya and Italy.

Alberini confirmed that Alitalia will launch its flights toward Tripoli at the end of November.

During the meeting, Dbeibah received an invitation from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to attend the Africa-Italy Conference that will be held in Rome in November.

The meeting also tackled preparations to hold a meeting in Tripoli at the level of the interior ministers of the two countries to discuss the results of the recent meetings in Rome regarding illegal migration.



Israel Keeps Up Gaza Bombardment as Ceasefire Talks Intensify

Smoke rises following an explosion in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Dec.18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Smoke rises following an explosion in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Dec.18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
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Israel Keeps Up Gaza Bombardment as Ceasefire Talks Intensify

Smoke rises following an explosion in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Dec.18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Smoke rises following an explosion in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Dec.18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

US and Arab mediators are working round-the-clock to hammer out a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, sources close to the talks said, while in the Gaza Strip medics said Israeli strikes had killed 13 Palestinians on Thursday.
The mediators, at talks in Egypt and Qatar, seek to forge a deal to pause the 14-month-old war in the Hamas-ruled enclave that would include a release of hostages seized from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, along with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, Reuters said.
Mediators had managed to narrow some gaps on previous sticking points but differences remained, the sources said.
In Gaza, medics said at least 13 Palestinians were killed overnight in separate Israeli airstrikes, including on two houses in Gaza City and a central camp.
Residents of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, where the army has operated since October, said forces blew up clusters of houses overnight.
"The longer those talks last, the more destruction and death takes place in Gaza. Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya are being wiped out, Rafah too," said Adel, 60, a resident of Jabalia, who is now displaced in Gaza City.
Palestinians accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing in those areas by depopulating residents to create buffer zones. Israel denies this and says its campaign aims to wipe out Hamas, a militant group, and to prevent it from regrouping.
Israel accuses Hamas of exploiting civilian infrastructure and the population as a human shield for its activities. Hamas denies it and accuses Israel of trying to justify the indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians.
PHASED OR COMPREHENSIVE?
Sources close to the mediation efforts said Hamas had pushed for a one-package deal but Israel wanted a phased one. Talks are focused on a first-phase release of hostages, dead or alive, as well as a number of Palestinians jailed by Israel.
On Tuesday, the sides discussed the numbers and categories of those to be released, but things have yet to be finalized, said a source who spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the talks.
The source said one issue was Israel's demand to retain the right to act against any possible military threat from Gaza and the stationing of Israeli forces during phases of the deal.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday Israel will have security control over Gaza with full freedom of action after defeating Hamas in the enclave.
Israel launched its air and ground assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities 14 months ago, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel says about 100 hostages are still being held, but it is unclear how many are alive.
Israel's campaign has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the 2.3 million population and reduced much of the coastal enclave to ruins.
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch said Israel had killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza by denying them clean water which it says legally amounts to acts of genocide and extermination.
Israel's foreign ministry accused the rights group of lying, writing on X that Israel had facilitated the continuous flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza since the start of the war despite constant attacks by Hamas.