The United Nations (UN) Electoral Support Management Team expressed its willingness to send a team to Libya to assess the needs during the coming period to manage the electoral process.
Libya’s delegate to the UN, Al-Taher Al-Sunni, during his meeting with the UN team technical and logistical files discussed ways to secure the elections in cooperation with the Libyan High National Elections Commission (HNEC) and Libyan institutions. This in addition to reviewing similar experiences of other countries that can be used to make the electoral process a success in Libya, according to the UN mission in Libya.
On his part, Al-Sunni stressed the importance of the role of the UN and international and regional organisations in supporting the general elections in Libya.
The Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, revealed that the current political stalemate in Libya will thwart the aspirations of the Libyans and their right to choose their representatives through free, fair and inclusive elections.
In his periodic report to the UN Security Council on the situation in Libya, Guterres said, “the Libyan people, who had registered their votes in large numbers to participate in the December 2021 elections, have the right to live in peace, choose their leaders through ballot boxes.”
The Secretary-General welcomed the efforts of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) to improve transparency and accountability in the use of state funds through submitting regular reports.
Guterres called on all Libyan parties to cooperate with the high-level committee for the elections proposed by the UN Special Envoy, Abdoullaye Bathily, in order to finalise the preparations for the elections.
He also commended the progress made by the 5 + 5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) in implementing the initial framework for unifying the country’s army.
Guterres welcomed the formation of liaison committees affiliated to the JMC of Chad, Sudan, Niger, and the African Union (AU). He called for the withdrawal of foreign fighters and mercenaries to mitigate the impact on the Sahel countries.
The UN Secretary-General stressed the need for a national reconciliation that focuses on victims and is based on rights to address the internal division. He pointed out that no way can lead to a sustainable peace other than a transparent and inclusive transitional justice process for all Libyans.
He also called for working to manage the country’s wealth and resources in an accountable, fair, transparent, and effective manner, and to ensure proper supervision over them.
In addition, Guterres urged the security authorities in Libya to end the campaign of intimidation against civil society actors who exercise their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
He called for ensuring meaningful participation of women, youth, ethnic minorities, and other vulnerable groups, stressing that the UN will continue to support the Libyan partners and the AU in this regard.
