The UN envoy to Libya on Monday announced a push to help the country organize presidential and legislative elections later this year. Elections were originally scheduled for December 2021, but were postponed indefinitely because of differences over controversial candidates and rules on participation.
Abdoulaye Bitali told the UN Security Council he would launch an initiative “aimed at enabling the organization and holding of presidential and legislative elections in 2023.” “In this regard, I plan to establish a high-level steering panel for Libya,” the Senegalese envoy said.
The panel would be responsible for facilitating “the legal framework and time-bound roadmap” for elections as well as working to “advance consensus” on security and a code of conduct for candidates. The mechanism would bring together “institutions, important political figures, tribal leaders, civil society organizations, security actors, women (and) young people”, Bitali said.
Libya has been embroiled in a protracted civil war since the fall of Moamer Kadhafi’s regime in 2011. Since March last year, an administration in Libya’s east backed by military leader Khalifa Haftar has challenged the UN-recognised government of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, arguing it has outlived its mandate.
