The United Nations and the United States on Monday urged all Libyan stakeholders to focus on holding the presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.
“Growing polarization among political actors and disputes over key aspects of the electoral process ultimately resulted in the postponement of the 24 December elections, despite the advanced stage of technical preparations by the High National Commission for Elections (HNEC),” said Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, during a security briefing on the situation in Libya.
“In announcing the postponement, the HNEC cited shortcomings in the legal framework for the elections, contradictory court rulings on candidacies, and political and security concerns,” she noted. “To address this, the House of Representatives has established a Roadmap Committee to chart a new political path that defines an elections timetable and process.”
She further stated that Special Advisor on Libya Stephanie Williams “is working closely with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), as well as with Libyan, regional and international stakeholders.”
"Clearly, Libyan stakeholders hold different views regarding the path that can take the country to free, fair, inclusive, and credible national elections and a peaceful transition,” the briefing read.
“SASG Williams has reiterated to Libyan interlocutors that the focus of the political process should remain on the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections to be held in the shortest possible timeframe,” DiCarlo added.
She called on everyone to respect the timeline agreed to in the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) roadmap, which was endorsed by the Security Council.
“On the economic track, further steps were taken towards reunification of the Central Bank of Libya,” she said.
She also welcomed efforts “to advance national reconciliation based on the principles of transitional justice.”
DiCarlo noted that there are ongoing efforts to implement the ceasefire agreement under the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC).
“Despite serious logistical and security challenges,” she remarked, “the second group of international monitors from the UNSMIL Ceasefire Monitoring Component deployed to Tripoli in December to replace the first group deployed in October.”
“Libya is at a delicate and fragile juncture in its path to unity and stability,” she stressed.
Also, she welcomed and supported, “the positive developments taking place across the three intra-Libyan dialogue tracks… We need to collectively nurture these positive steps.”
Meanwhile, Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Acting Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs US Mission to the United Nations, said the Libyan people are ready to decide their own future.
“Two point eight million people have registered to vote in Libya. Over 2.5 million of them have collected their voter cards. These are people who clearly are ready to vote, who have demonstrated a serious commitment to elections,” DeLaurentis stressed.
