UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres stated that the UN is working closely with Libya’s political parties to reschedule its elections as soon as possible.
In press statements, Guterres said that his Special Advisor on Libya (SASG), Stephanie Williams is working with various parties to create the necessary conditions, “to move things forward as quickly as possible.”
As a positive element, Guterres indicated that the Libyan Parliament is able to organise a committee to set a roadmap.
He went on to say that work is being done with all parties. As well as noting that establishing legitimate institutions in Libya has become important to ensure that the roadmap allows elections to take place as soon as possible. He emphasised the importance of holding elections by June on several occasions.
On Tuesday evening, Williams discussed holding the Presidential elections by mid-2022.
In a televised interview with CNN, Williams said, “The UN Secretary-General has sent me specifically to support the electoral process, the nearly 3 million Libyans who have registered to vote, and 2.5 million of whom collected their vote registration ID cards.”
“And so I am banking on them, I am supporting them. We are working with the institutions that are concerned with producing the elections to get the electoral process back on track as soon as possible. Libya has been in a state of chaos and crisis for 10 years, and all of its national institutions are facing a crisis of legitimacy,” she said.
Williams stressed that allowing the people to vote, and democratically elect a new government is the only way out of the years of division that have plagued the country.
“The Libyan Presidential elections must necessarily be held before the end of June of this year,” Williams confirmed. This is because the political roadmap extends until June of this year, and elections must be held within this timeframe.
She also emphasized that the final decision will be in the hands of the Libyan people themselves. As well as noting that the United Nations plays a supportive advisory role, and has nothing to with the eligibility of candidates.
The SASG added that the Libyans who registered to vote also need to have a target on the horizon. She warned against dragging the country into a protracted political vacuum, which requires serious work to hold elections before June.