63 Libyan political parties have called on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to support the formation of a unified government, which will create the conditions necessary for elections.
The demand was made during a protest by several Libyan parties on Tuesday evening, in front of the UNSMIL’s headquarters in Janzour.
The protest aimed to accelerate the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, in response to the will of the Libyan people.
Protesters blamed the Mission for the current political deadlock, urging immediate action to support and facilitate elections.
They called for an “expansion of consultations with political parties, the formation of a unified government to lead the country to quick elections, and the resolution of the political deadlock while completing the unification of Libyan institutions.”
The parties expressed concerns that UNSMIL “might transform from a neutral tool supporting the Libyan people, to serving the interests of those clinging to power.”
They urged the Mission to “urgently prioritize its efforts, using all available means to pressure parties obstructing the Libyan people’s will to transition to a phase of political stability, through free, fair, and transparent Presidential and parliamentary elections.”
The parties highlighted the damage caused to the interests and resources of the Libyan people. They emphasised that Libyans “are tired of foreign interventions in internal affairs, especially those conflicting with Libyan national interests.”
The protesters also criticized the “blatant violation of the state’s sovereignty, and the negative impact on Libya’s stability.”
Notably, Libyan Presidential candidate, Suleiman Al-Bioudi has launched a scathing attack on the UN Envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, urging the Libyan community to “boycott and exclude him.”
He stated that Bathily is no longer a “neutral mediator. If there is a desire to overcome the political deadlock, and achieve the hopes and aspirations of Libyans for a unified government overseeing the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, he must be boycotted and called for exclusion.”
He also criticized Bathily’s continued dealings with the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba. As well as the High Council of State (HCS), a rival body to the Parliament.