On Monday, the United Nations Support Mission in Libyan (UNSMIL) announced that it will participate in the talks concerning the Libyan elections held between 26-29 July, and hosted by Italy.
UNSMIL said in a statement that it has accepted the invitation by the Libyan Parliament to participate at the meeting in Rome. It is set to provide “technical support and advice” to the Parliamentary Committee and the High National Elections Committee (HNEC), in developing the draft electoral laws.
The mission stressed the importance of an inclusive electoral process, and of including the High Council of State (HCS) in preparing the electoral laws during the meeting in Rome. This is in line with the relevant provisions of the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA), and the Tunis roadmap regarding the preparation of the electoral legislation.
It urged the Parliament and the HCS to act in “goodwill” towards these objectives, and to coordinate in line with the relevant provisions of the LPA.
“UNSMIL is grateful to the Italian Government for hosting this meeting,” the statement noted. It expressed its hope that this will result in the establishment of a legal framework and additional momentum for the holding of inclusive, free, and fair parliamentary and presidential elections on 24 December 2021.