On Tuesday, the United States Special Envoy to Libya, Richard Norland voiced his rejection of any electoral process that could lead to further instability. He stressed the need to settle the current disputes over the eligibility of candidates.
In press statements, Norland reiterated his support for the efforts of the UN Envoy and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily to hold elections in 2023.
“The identity of the candidates for Presidential elections must be resolved because it has previously caused the postponement of the elections,” Norland said, adding that many candidates are “controversial figures, and Libyans must decide their stance on them.”
“We do not want an electoral process that creates further instability, an agreement must be reached on how to manage it,” he explained, noting that “those who wish to run for elections cannot be part of their supervision.”
Norland stressed that “the political agreement is one of the basic steps for holding elections,” adding it is necessary to make progress in the issue of withdrawing mercenaries from Libya.
Regarding the return of the US Embassy to Libya, Norland said that “opening our embassy in Libya is related to the security situation.”
Last week, Norland said that the new 10-year Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability in Libya announced by President Joe Biden “builds upon constructive partnerships and community-level programs that support the Libyan people’s aspirations for stability, accountability, and responsive governance.”
In a thread published on the US Embassy’s Twitter account, Norland said that such an initiative “underscores the U.S. commitment to stand with the Libyan people.” He added that this initiative “supports progress toward a democratically elected unified government, that can deliver public services and promote economic growth in all areas.”
US President, Joe Biden submitted to Congress 10-Year Plans aimed at implementing US strategies to prevent conflict and promote stability across six nations, including Libya, according to a statement issued by the White House on Friday.
The plan orients US efforts toward the ultimate long-term political goal that Libya is “governed by a democratically elected, unified, representative, and internationally recognized authority that is able to ensure human rights, deliver public services, promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, secure its borders, and partner with the United States and international community on shared priorities.”
However, the plan acknowledges the need for an “incremental, tailored, and scalable approach, given the current national-level political uncertainties, and practical limitations for US engagement and assistance within Libya.”
In the near term, the plan focuses on a “grass-roots, localized approach to support citizen-responsive democratic local governance, and nascent but promising locally-led reconciliation initiatives.” Southern Libya is the focal point of initial sequenced efforts which incrementally build toward progress in all three major regions of Libya, and ultimately through the critical sub-regions of the Sahel and Coastal West Africa.
The plan will focus over time on creating the necessary conditions to hold democratic elections over the longer term (e.g., citizen engagement, consensus-building, constitutional reform, violence mitigation, and reconciliation efforts). As well as addressing political roadblocks that have obstructed credible elections to date.
The plan will promote inclusion, seeking to increase the participation and representation of women, youths, and other groups traditionally marginalized and underrepresented in Libya’s polity. Fostering more inclusive political and economic processes in Libya will help build the resilience needed for longer-term peace and stability.
This plan’s tailored and scalable approach will be applied across four overarching objectives that will guide diplomatic, development, and security engagement:
Objective 1: Libya advances its transition to a unified, democratically-elected, stable political system that has broad participation by, and acceptance from, Libyan society, and can effectively and equitably deliver targeted public services and protect the human rights of all Libyans.
Objective 2: Libya better integrates the historically marginalized South into national structures, leading to broader unification and securing the Southern border.
Objective 3: Libya progresses towards a civilian-controlled, unified military and security apparatus with a monopoly on the legitimate use of force that is capable of maintaining stability and contributing to regional security goals.
Objective 4: Libya’s economic and business environment fosters sustainable and equitable economic growth, mitigates corruption, and enables better management of revenue.
The United States will marshal and align diplomacy, foreign assistance, and other tools to advance these four objectives in a sequenced fashion.
The US government will work to increase engagement with and support for sub-national, local municipal and civil society actors, especially in southern Libya at the start, who are advancing reconciliation, community-based dialogues, and inclusive service delivery.
This support will include new efforts to boost economic opportunity and financial inclusion for marginalized groups. At the same time, the US government will continue to marshal support, including through the UN-led political process, for a political solution among Libya’s leaders.
