UN Special Representative for Libya Abdoulaye Bathily has made several "unprecedented" security steps in preparation for holding Libya's elections, amid speculations by some politicians over the sufficiency of the measures he took so far.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, a number of military personnel and researchers indicated that Bathily could succeed in achieving his goal, however, they pointed to possible obstacles and tensions.
In this regard, Former Libyan Defense Minister Muhammad Al-Barghathi said Bathily succeed in bringing together all active military forces who are technically capable of guaranteeing safe elections anytime, saying the UN envoy tackled his mission with “intelligence and courage that his predecessors lacked."
Al-Barghathi also said he understands doubts that leaders of armed factions in the western region wouldn’t commit to the elections because it jeopardizes their security control, however, he said the compromise "wasn't and won't be for free.”
"Most likely, the leaders of those factions imposed their conditions during the unannounced security meetings that preceded their recent meeting in Tripoli," he noted.
For his part, Head of Libya's Renewal Party Suleiman al-Bayoudi called for expanding the scope of participation in the security meetings to include all military and security forces in the country.
Al-Bayoudi warned Bathily in a Facebook post about the repercussions of disregarding the isolated military forces.
Also, Ahmed Aliba, a researcher at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, highlighted several factors, at the international and local levels, that would enable Bathily to provide the minimum-security environment required to hold the elections.
Aliba told Asharq Al-Awsat that the international forces, with Washington in the lead, have changed their stances by increasing coordination with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar, which reflects mutual interests between both sides.
This was demonstrated in the participation of the army delegation in all security meetings that were held in Libya and abroad.
On the local level, Aliba said that the Libyans are fed up with the political stalemate that spanned for months now, which Bathily could use to press the parliament and Libya's High Council of State to pass the elections laws as soon as possible.
He added that the indirect agreements between Haftar and the head of the interim Libyan unity government, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, forecast the possibility of overcoming any obstacles or threats that could hinder holding the elections.
