UNSMIL calls for agreeing on an electoral path and forming a unified government.

Tripoli, 25 December 2023 (Lana) The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) stressed the need for the actors in the Libyan crisis to agree on a clear electoral path and a timetable for the election and to reach a consensus on forming a new unified government that will guide the country towards elections, stressing that delaying action will deepen the division and expose Libya to various threats that threaten the lives of people in Libya and undermine regional stability.

This came in a statement issued by the UNSMIL yesterday on the occasion of Libya’s Independence Day and the second anniversary of failure to hold general elections, in which it said, “Today is the 72nd anniversary of Libya’s independence, and it also marks two years since general elections were not held in December 2021, where two million-eight-hundred-thousand Libyans registered to vote in those elections, after more than a decade of instability, with hopes to renew the legitimacy of their state institutions and set the country on a path to durable peace, stability, and sustainable development.”

“Libyan people are watching with growing frustration; they want to exercise their political right to vote in a safe and secure environment, and efforts to hold elections over the past two years have been marked by open-ended negotiations, procrastination, and questionable intent, despite repeated calls from the UN Security Council, most recently in Resolution 2702 (2023), on the need to reach a compromise and the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily,” UNSMIL said.

It stated that in fulfillment of the mandate from the UN Security Council to restore momentum on holding elections, Bathily invited the heads of five main Libyan institutions—the Presidential Council, House of Representatives, High Council of State, Government of National Unity, and Libyan National Army—to meet in good faith to settle all remaining contentious issues impeding progress toward elections.

“Libya has now put in place a constitutional and legal framework for elections that the High National Election Commission considers technically implementable. However, laws alone cannot lead to successful elections, which can only take place when Libyan stakeholders are genuinely committed to creating the necessary conditions for their successful implementation,” UNSMIL added.

According to the statement, the mission announced its commitment to facilitating dialogue, but the onus lies on Libyan stakeholders to show their full commitment to achieving national unity, peace, and security by engaging positively with Bathily’s efforts, which means prioritizing the demands of people in Libya over partisan interests and submitting nominations for a preparatory meeting without delay.

“Political parties, civil society, women, youth, notables, and elders, along with military and security actors, must mobilize and urge their institutional leaders to fulfill their duty to the motherland, Libya,” it added.

“The international community also needs to stand united in word and deed and urge Libyan stakeholders to choose the path of peace, unity, and democracy. Equally, regional actors must push for and support positive engagement toward a national compromise.” UNSMIL concluded.

=Lana=