The Chairman of the High National Election Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Sayeh held a meeting and the Deputy Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Fawzi Al-Nuwairi.
The two sides discussed the readiness of the commission, and the preparations made for the planned elections.
The two parties explored ways to “overcome any obstacles faced by the commission in fulfilling its duties, particularly the practical and technical challenges related to the procedures taken in preparation for the general elections and municipal council elections.”
Meanwhile, the UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily announced that the UN Mission (UNSMIL) is currently unable to determine a date for holding elections in Libya.
Bathily made this statement during a press conference, following his briefing to the UN Security Council in New York.
“We cannot currently determine a date for holding elections, but we remain optimistic.” He added that UNSMIL is working with all stakeholders to reach a comprehensive political agreement.
Al-Sayeh has called on the 6+6 Joint Committee to engage with the commission for a comprehensive discussion on electoral laws. This call comes amid numerous concerns over the committee’s outputs, due to limited communication during the law formulation process.
Furthermore, Al-Sayeh mentioned that the Parliament has issued a law under which the commission is now responsible for local elections. He also revealed that the executive regulations for municipal elections will soon be released. These are expected to be implemented in the first quarter of 2024.
Notably, the Libyan Parliament’s Spokesman, Abdullah Blaiheg stated that the Parliament forwarded its observations regarding the Presidential and Parliamentary election laws to the 6+6 Committee.
He added that this comes after significant objections concerning key elements, including the mandatory requirement for Presidential candidates to undergo two election rounds.