On Thursday, the Head of Libya’s Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Mnifi held talks with the United Nations Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily. They discussed the progress made by the 6+6 Joint Committee, entrusted by the Libyan Parliament and the High Council of State (HCS), with the drafting of electoral laws.
Al-Mnifi and Bathily stressed the need to ensure the holding of a free, transparent, and inclusive electoral process in 2023.
Bathily briefed Al-Mnifi about his meetings with key Libyan stakeholders, concerning the priorities for the current critical stage in Libya.
He added that the discussions “centered on ensuring a smooth electoral process, and the necessary conditions for a successful democratic transition.”
These talks are instrumental in maintaining Libya’s progress toward stability and democratic governance. They represent continued international engagement with Libyan authorities, to help shape a peaceful and democratic future for Libya.
In May, the 6+6 Joint Committee called for the formation of a unified government that paves the way for holding legislative and presidential elections across the country.
During its meeting in Morocco, the committee members stressed that the upcoming presidential and legislative elections will be held simultaneously, announcing that they had achieved complete consensus regarding the controversial points related to the process of electing a president for Libya and the National Assembly members.
They also agreed on the mechanism of engaging the political parties in the coming parliamentary elections, whether through party lists or individual candidates.
Furthermore, significant headway has been made in determining the allocation of seats for the House of Representatives and the Senate, ensuring fair representation for all Libyan citizens.
This crucial step was seen as a significant contribution towards the long-awaited elections that hold the promise of ending the years of chaos and instability in the country.
Notably, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) vowed that it will provide technical and logistical support to the Committee to establish electoral laws.
Bathily has previously urged the leaders of the two chambers to expedite the work of the committee, and publish a timebound work programme.
“For elections to take place this year, the electoral laws must be completed in time for High National Elections Commission (HNEC) to begin implementing the electoral process by early July,” Bathily said in his brief to the UN Security Council in March.