Ramadan Abu Janah, the Deputy Prime Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU), has blamed the House of Representatives (HoR) and the High Council of State (HCS) for the failure to hold elections in the country.
In an interview with the Arab World Press Agency (AWP), he accused the two rival governments of seeking personal interests “that do not serve Libya” and called for a “joint Libyan solution” to enable Libyans to go to the polls.
Despite the GNU’s efforts to provide necessary services to Libyans, competition for power continues to negatively affect citizens, according to Abu Janah.
He believes that the only way to end the crisis that has plagued Libya for over 12 years is to hold free and fair elections in which citizens can choose their leaders freely.
Presidential elections were initially scheduled for December 24th, 2021, but were postponed. This was due to a lack of consensus among warring political factions over the legal basis of the vote and what was described as some flaws in the previous United Nations (UN) mission. The UN has been working to mediate a political settlement regarding the elections and disputes, with UN Envoy, Abdoulaye Bathily, at the forefront of these efforts.
Abu Janah praised Bathily for his work in the Libyan crisis, describing him as “doing work that no previous UN Envoy has done in the history of Libya.” He expects Bathily to announce the integration of the two competing governments into a single government that will lead Libyans to the polls.
However, the road to holding elections remains challenging, with the different views and interests of foreign countries, including the United States and Russia, affecting the political arena, according to Abu Janah. He sees politics as “like shifting sands,” making it difficult to determine an election date.
The UN mission in Libya has faced criticism from members of the HoR and the HCS, who accuse Bathily of supporting the GNU.
Libya has been in a state of turmoil since the fall of Moammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, with various factions vying for power and control of the country’s oil resources.
The ongoing crisis has resulted in widespread violence and instability, with civilians bearing the brunt of the conflict.
, has blamed the House of Representatives){kind=link}