On Tuesday, the UN Envoy to Libya, and the Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily met with the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf in Tripoli.
During the meeting, Bathily discussed with Leaf the latest developments in the political situation, and ways to facilitate holding elections in 2023.
“I was pleased to meet Assistant Secretary Leaf of the US today at UNSMIL. We exchanged views on how to further the political process in Libya to lead the country to elections this year. I expressed appreciation for the US support to the work of UNSMIL in Libya,” Bathily tweeted.
On Monday, the US diplomats held a meeting with the Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar to discuss the political situation in Libya.
They discussed political developments in Libya, and the importance of supporting the efforts of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). This is through coordination with the Libyan Parliament, and the High Council of State (HCS) to prepare the electoral laws required to hold Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2023.
On 27 February, Bathily 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 earlier this month.
The proposed mechanism will bring together all relevant Libyan stakeholders, including representatives of political institutions, major political figures, tribal leaders, civil society organizations, security actors, women, and youth representatives.
Bathily noted that the initiative will facilitate the adoption of the legal framework and time-bound roadmap to the holding of elections in 2023. The proposed panel will also “provide a platform to advance consensus around related matters, such as election security and the adoption of a Code of Conduct for all candidates,” he added.
Libya is currently facing a political crisis after the Libyan Parliament swore in a new Prime Minister, former Interior Minister, Fathi Bashagha in February 2022. MP’s argued that the incumbent Prime Minister, Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba’s mandate expired when the elections failed to take place.
