Although the UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily has made several unprecedented security steps in preparation for holding elections, some politicians still speculate about the sufficiency of the measures he has taken so far.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, various military personnel and researchers said that Bathily could succeed in achieving his goal, however, they pointed to possible obstacles and tensions.
In this regard, former Defence Minister, Muhammad Al-Barghathi said Bathily “succeeded in bringing together all active military forces who are technically capable of guaranteeing safe elections anytime. He tackled his mission with intelligence and courage, which his predecessors lacked.”
Al-Barghathi also said he understands doubts that leaders of armed factions in the western region wouldn’t commit to the elections. As this would jeopardize their security control, however, he said the compromise “wasn’t and won’t be for free. Most likely, the leaders of those factions imposed their conditions during the unannounced security meetings that preceded their recent meeting in Tripoli.”
The Head of Libya’s Renewal Party, Suleiman Al-Bayoudi called for expanding the scope of participation in the security meetings to include all military and security forces in the country.
He warned Bathily about the repercussions of disregarding the isolated military forces.
Ahmed Aliba, a researcher at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, highlighted several factors at the international and local levels. These would enable Bathily to provide the minimum-security environment required to hold the elections.
Aliba told Asharq Al-Awsat that international forces, with Washington in the lead, have changed their stances by increasing coordination with Libyan National Army (LNA) commander, Khalifa Haftar, which reflects mutual interests between both sides.
This was demonstrated in the participation of the LNA in all security meetings, which were held in Libya and abroad.
On the local level, Aliba said that “Libyans are fed up with the political stalemate that spanned for months now. Bathily could use this to press the Parliament and High Council of State (HCS) to pass the elections laws as soon as possible.”
He added that the “indirect agreements between Haftar and Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, forecast the possibility of overcoming any obstacles or threats that could hinder the holding of elections.”
