On Friday, the Libyan Parliament-designate Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, stressed the need for the year 2023 to be a year of comprehensive, free, and fair elections.
Bashagha added that the elections meet the aspirations of 3 million voters to exercise their right to go to the polls and choose their representatives in the executive and legislative authorities.
He praised the role of the United States (US) in hosting and organizing the meeting of representatives of a number of countries “most involved in the Libyan file.”
“This revives our hope for the central role that friendly and brotherly countries and the United Nations (UN) mission can play in supporting Libya’s path towards peace and stability,” he added.
On Thursday, the US hosted the UN Special Representative to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, and senior officials from Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Qatar, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United Kingdom (UK). This was to discuss the Libyan people’s demand for presidential and parliamentary elections.
According to a statement by the US Department of State “ahead of his briefing to the UN Security Council, Special Representative Bathily updated participants on his consultations with Libyan leaders and institutions, in order to promote consensus leading to elections in 2023.”
The participants took note of the achievements made by the Libyan Parliament and High Council of State (HCS) in the recent Egyptian-led negotiations on a constitutional basis for elections. They also discussed the next steps in finalising election preparations.
In remarks to the visiting officials, Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy R. Sherman underscored the need to “help make 2023 the year of free and fair Libyan elections.”
Bathily said ahead of his departure for the Security Council briefing in New York that “there is an increasing convergence of views that Libyan elections should take place in 2023.”
“I welcome the commitment of all towards finding a Libyan-led solution to the political crisis. We must all work together to end the current impasse, and meet the aspirations of the Libyan people,” he noted.