51 Libyan political parties have called for a political solution leading to Presidential and Parliamentary elections, and the establishment of “a pluralistic and democratic system.”
The political parties sent a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, and members of the UN Security Council. They stressed that the “current ruling political bodies lack legitimacy.”
The parties said that they are “aware of the desire of some local and international parties to maintain the current political impasse, to ensure the survival of their interests and gains.”
“Moving forward towards Presidential and Parliamentary elections has become an absolute necessity to restore the legitimacy and unity of state institutions,” the statement concluded.
Notably, the United Nations Special Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily said that his upcoming roadmap “will be supported by all international and local actors inside and outside Libya.”
In televised statements, Bathily added: “We put forward this set of recommendations that will lead to a roadmap for holding elections in 2023.”
He pointed out that the “elected legitimate institutions are what will achieve stability in Libya. We aspired to achieve this, and there are many expectations about the electoral process through political dialogue.”
Bathily stressed the need for all parties to “come together to discuss the security of the electoral process, and how to best conduct it.”
The UN Envoy pointed out that the “international community has a role to support the intra-Libyan solution, and now it is in the development stage.”
Bathily has announced an initiative aimed at enabling legislative and Presidential elections this year, and will set up a high-level steering panel, he told the United Nations Security Council on Monday.
During his briefing, Bathily said the mechanism “would bring together representatives of political institutions, major political figures, tribal leaders, civil society organizations, security officials, and other relevant groups.”