The Head of Libya’s Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Mnifi and the Head of the National Elections Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Sayeh held discussions on the commission’s needs to prepare for elections.
During the meeting, Al-Mnifi affirmed his full support for the commission and its presidency. He stressed the importance of ensuring the completion of the electoral process during the current year.
Al-Mnifi noted that the Presidential Council “attaches great importance to meeting the needs of the commission, and that it is based on overcoming them with the government as a spending priority during the 2023 budget.”
On Wednesday, Al-Mnifi received Abdoulaye Bathily, the UN Envoy to Libya and Head of the Un Mission (UNSMIL) to discuss the latest political developments in the country.
In a post on its Twitter account, UNSMIL said that the meeting “focused on the progress made toward elections, national reconciliation, security, and military unification.”
The duo discussed “ways to establish a comprehensive national mechanism for managing oil revenues and spending.”
On his part, Al-Mnifi stressed that he will continue to communicate with various actors in Libya to help advance the political process, affirming his readiness to support any initiative that allows elections to be held before the end of 2023. In turn, Bathily stressed that national ownership is the key to success.
During his latest briefing to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in March, the UN Envoy announced a mechanism to bring together the various Libyan parties.
This includes representatives of political institutions, prominent political figures, tribal leaders, civil society organisations, security actors, and representatives of women and youth, to facilitate the adoption of a legal framework and a binding timetable for holding elections in 2023.
The 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.
In a tweet, Bathily reiterated the importance of the 6 + 6 committee’s role and responsibilities to produce the laws necessary to hold general and inclusive elections in Libya.
Bathily, joined by UNSMIL’s technical team, exchanged views on issues related to the legal framework for elections. He renewed the Mission’s offer to “provide all required support to enable the committee to conclude its work as soon as possible.”
