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Williams Urges Need to Resolve 'Crisis of Legitimacy' in Libya

Williams convenes a consultative session of the LPDF women's bloc. (Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General via Twitter)
Williams convenes a consultative session of the LPDF women's bloc. (Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General via Twitter)
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Williams Urges Need to Resolve 'Crisis of Legitimacy' in Libya

Williams convenes a consultative session of the LPDF women's bloc. (Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General via Twitter)
Williams convenes a consultative session of the LPDF women's bloc. (Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General via Twitter)

Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General (SASG) for Libya, Stephanie Williams reiterated the need to "respect the will of the 2.5 million Libyans" who registered to vote in the delayed elections.

Williams convened in Tripoli on Sunday a consultative session of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) women's bloc in person and virtually to discuss the challenges facing the electoral process following the High National Election Commission's (HNEC) declaration of force majeure.

"As always, I appreciated the constructive, principled and thoughtful recommendations provided by the women's bloc which previously played a leading role in the LPDF deliberations," she tweeted.

"I recalled the timeline laid out in the LPDF roadmap which extends until June of this year, as the UNSC-endorsed framework for the comprehensive solution to end Libya's long transitional period," she added.

"I stressed the need to respect the will of the 2.5 million Libyans who collected their voter registrations cards and called for urgent and serious efforts to address the crisis of legitimacy facing Libya's national institutions," she stressed.

Presidential and parliamentary elections were set for December 2020, but they were postponed over what the HNEC said were inadequacies in the electoral legislation and the judicial appeals process.

The planned vote was the lynchpin of international peace efforts, and major regional and international powers had for months pushed for it to take place as scheduled.

But many inside and outside Libya doubted the election would proceed as planned. Some warned that holding the vote could destabilize the country, given the continued polarization.

An internationally brokered October 2020 ceasefire has kept a relative peace since. But some its main provisions — the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries within three months and adherence to a UN arms embargo — have not been met.

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Aoun Wants Formation of ‘Consensual’ Lebanese Govt Representing All Components

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
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Aoun Wants Formation of ‘Consensual’ Lebanese Govt Representing All Components

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is advocating the formation of a government of “consensus” that includes representatives from all political factions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam has requested that parliamentary blocs submit non-partisan nominees for ministerial positions, emphasizing that they must not belong to any political party.

Aoun stressed on Tuesday that all components of society have the right to be represented in the government, parliament and public administration, as this is already practiced in the army.

“We have significant opportunities that we hope to seize by uniting all elements of Lebanese society—civil, spiritual, and political. Together, we can rebuild our nation,” he declared.

Highlighting the importance of meeting international expectations, Aoun hoped for the rapid formation of a government to achieve political, economic, and security stability, which would allow citizens “to live with dignity, not merely in relative comfort.”

During meetings with professional delegations at the Presidential Palace, Aoun said: “We are at a crossroads. Either we take advantage of the current circumstances and rise above sectarian, religious, and political divisions, or we head in a different direction and bear full responsibility for failing to fulfill our duties.”

Negotiations between Aoun, Salam, and political factions over the formation of a government are ongoing. The discussions, which kicked off last week, have reportedly made progress, with efforts directed toward expediting the government formation process, issuing decrees, preparing a ministerial statement, and securing its vote of confidence from lawmakers.

While the Shiite duo of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement appear to have finalized their proposed nominees for the government, disagreements over the ministerial statement remain.

MP Waddah Sadek, who is backed by the opposition, firmly rejected the inclusion of the “Army, People, Resistance” term in the statement. He declared: “No ‘blocking third’ in the government, and no unconstitutional gimmicks. The slogan of the new phase in Lebanon should be: the ‘Army, People, and State.’”

The Kataeb Party echoed this stance, stressing that Lebanon, emerging from a devastating war between Hezbollah and Israel, must align with the Aoun’s inaugural speech and Salam’s remarks by ensuring the ministerial statement exclusively underscores the state’s monopoly over arms and the defense of the nation.

“The government must act decisively, dismantle militias, strictly enforce the ceasefire, and uphold its provisions across all Lebanese territory,” it demanded.

The Kataeb Party also urged Aoun and Salam to resist the “great extortion” by Hezbollah and Amal to secure specific ministries or positions, in violation of the inaugural speech, calling instead for the application of uniform standards to ensure the government’s success.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah adopted a more confrontational tone.

MP Hussein Hajj Hassan, a member of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, commented: “To those betting on Hezbollah’s weakness or the weakness of the Hezbollah-Amal alliance, what will you say when the government is formed? What will you say when you realize the strength of Hezbollah, the alliance, and the resistance’s supporters across all segments of Lebanese society? What will you say when you see the unwavering determination and unity of the resistance at every critical juncture?”