On Tuesday, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani confirmed that Rome “is in talks with all parties in Libya, in an effort to achieve stability in the country.”
In press statements to Sky News Arabia, Tajani confirmed that they have “made great efforts at all levels to achieve security and stability in Libya.” He expressed Italy’s desire to “involve all influential countries in Libyan affairs to contribute to the establishment of peace and stability in the country.”
The FM indicated that “if the situation in Libya stabilises, this will reflect positively on the security of North Africa as a whole, and countries south of the Sahara.”
Tajani’s statements came a day after the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily announced his plan to advance the political process and pave the way for holding Presidential and legislative elections during 2023.
Bathily said that the political process “remains protracted and falls short of the aspirations of the Libyan people who seek to elect their leaders and reinvigorate their political institutions. In short, Libyans are impatient. They question the will and desire of the current interim political actors to hold inclusive and transparent elections in 2023.”
During his speech, Bathily stated that the Parliament adopted the 13th Constitutional Amendment to the 2011 Constitutional Declaration. “This amendment is yet to be endorsed by the High State Council (HCS).”
Despite repeated attempts by the Parliament Speaker and the President of the HCS and their delegations to agree on a constitutional basis for elections, disagreements persist. “The 13th Constitutional amendment is controversial within the Libyan political class and general citizenry,” according to Bathily.
“Moreover, it does not address key contentious issues such as the eligibility criteria for Presidential candidates. It does not stipulate a clear roadmap and timeline to realise inclusive elections in 2023, and adds additional contentious issues such as the regional representation in the Senate,” he added.
Bathily confirmed that Libya’s political class is going through a major legitimacy crisis. “One could say that most institutions lost their legitimacy years ago. Solving this legitimacy crisis should therefore be the priority for all political actors willing to change the status quo. To date, the Parliament and HCS have not been able to agree on a consensual constitutional basis for elections,” he stated.
“Meanwhile, the realisation of Presidential and legislative elections requires a broad national consensus, which involves the buy-in and participation of a wider range of stakeholders, including national institutions, political figures, security actors, tribal forces and other stakeholders. Based on article 64 of the 2015 Libyan Political Agreement (LPA), and building on previously reached agreements among Libyan stakeholders, I have therefore decided to launch an initiative aimed at enabling the organisation and holding of Presidential and legislative elections in 2023. In this regard, I plan to establish a High-level Steering Panel for Libya,” he stated.
