The United States Special Envoy to Libya, Ambassador Richard Norland called on Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba to step down, if he wished to run in future elections.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Mubasher on Thursday, Norland said: “If Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba intends to run for the Presidential elections, he must step down as Prime Minister.”
The US Envoy added that “talking about a new government in Libya distracts attention, and causes confusion regarding the elections.”
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) welcomed the gradual progress of the new constitutional amendments in Libya. It affirmed its support for holding elections in the country, according to a statement seen by Italy’s news agency, Nova.
The Security Council praised Egypt’s role in facilitating talks in Cairo between the Libyan Parliament, and the High Council of State (HCS).
“Individuals or entities that threaten the peace, stability or security of Libya, or hinder or undermine the successful completion of its political transition, can be designated under sanctions by the Security Council,” the UNSC warned.
The Security Council emphasized the need for “a new impetus” to ensure a legal basis and political agreement, essential for the holding of free, fair, transparent, inclusive, and secure Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2023.
The statement affirmed the Council’s strong support for the UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, as a “mediator to promote a political process in line with the pertinent Security Council resolutions.”
The statement encouraged the initiative of the Senegalese politician to launch a high-level Libyan electoral group, facilitated by the United Nations “which aims to integrate the progress made by other processes and bring together the interested parties.”
The goal is “to ensure that any result is acceptable and supported by all the main Libyan actors.”
The UNSC also underlined the importance of a “participatory and representative process that includes representatives of political institutions and political personalities, tribal leaders, civil society organizations, security actors, young people and women.”
