The Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki, said free elections that reflect the will of the Libyan people are the only way to get out of the Libyan crisis. However he stressed that all Libyans should accept the results of the elections.
In an interview with the Egyptian newspaper, Akhbar Al-Youm, the arab league official warned that not accepting the election results would become a big problem, and might open a door to instability.
“Only elections are not the solo solution for the Libyan crisis. The Libyan file is very complicated,” he said.
He explained that the situation in Libya could have been easier than other situations in many crisis areas because there are no ethnic, religious, or language problems in the country. He noted that the problem in Libya is “regional.”
Regarding the reason for postponing the elections, he said, “as a result of the existence of personal interests, narrow partisan interests, and regional and factional interests, things went without the parties representing the institutions in the Libyan state reaching a consensus on how to implement these elections.”
Zaki expected that the elections would be postponed for a period of more than a month, and would not take place on January 24th, as suggested by the Libya’s High National Election Commission (HNEC).
He expressed his hope that these elections will be held soon. He also called on all parties to respect the will of the people, stressing that the Arab League will continue supporting the Libyan people.
Zaki revealed that the HNEC asked the Arab League to send a number of election observers. “The Secretary-General of the Arab League has agreed to this request, and when the new election date is agreed upon, the League will be present in it, just as it is present in the elections of other countries.”