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On Sunday, 44 Libyan Members of Parliament (MPs) announced their rejection of the “intervention” of the United Nations Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL), and foreign Ambassadors in the elections laws issued by the House of Representatives (HoR).
“We are shocked that the High National Election Commission (HNEC) has tried to impose political, not technical, amendments to the election laws,” the MPs said.
The Libyan MPs have expressed their deep concerns about a new plan to obstruct the presidential elections or reject their results.
“The HoR has fulfilled all its obligations, starting from issuing the laws of 2014 elections law,” they noted.
On Saturday, UNSMIL called on the Libyan HoR to adopt the necessary adjustments, including those put forward by the HNEC.
In a statement, UNSMIL said that this is needed to enable holding free, fair, inclusive, and credible parliamentary and presidential elections simultaneously on the 24th of December. It called for holding the elections in line with the Libyan political roadmap and Security Council resolutions, and the conclusions of the Second Berlin Conference for Libya.
It pointed out that only an inclusive legal framework will pave the way for a credible and inclusive electoral process. The mission explained that respecting the principle of simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections on the 24th of December 2021 is needed to preserve the integrity of the electoral process.
UNSMIL added that an inclusive legal framework will also enhance its credibility, and the right and aspirations of the Libyan people to democratically elect their representatives and leaders as well as the acceptance of the results of the elections.
It called for the removal of restrictions to the participation in the elections. This is to allow Libyans holding public positions to have the opportunity to suspend their duties from the time of submission of their candidacy for presidential elections, as proposed by the HNEC.
UNSMIL urged Libyan institutions to ensure the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and youth in the elections and to put in place all the necessary arrangements to protect voters and women candidates.
Ján Kubiš, the Head of the mission, said that, “UNSMIL continues to engage all concerned Libyan parties to facilitate efforts to put in place a framework for parliamentary and presidential elections that is in line with the Libyan political roadmap and Security Council resolutions, and has a wide acceptance of Libyan stakeholders, which is critical for successful elections.”
The statement praised the HNEC’s efforts to advance technical preparations for the elections. UNSMIL urged the HNEC to accelerate these efforts once a legal framework that addresses the concerns related to the roadmap and relevant Security Council resolutions is finalized.