Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC) welcomed the decision to extend the UN electoral assistance project “Promoting Elections for the Libyan People” until December 2021. It is working to prepare the Commission for any upcoming elections.
The Commission’s media office explained that the extension decision was made at the project’s video conference, held on 30 June. It was headed by Emad Al-Sayeh, HNEC’s Chairperson, and Gerardo Noto, the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Libya (UNDP Libya).
This was done in the presence of Abdel-Hakim Belkhair, a representative of the Commission in the project’s technical committee, and a number of representatives of donor countries such as the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Al-Sayeh began the meeting by reviewing the electoral context in Libya, indicating the challenges, opportunities, and conditions necessary for successful elections. He expressed, together with UNDP, his gratitude to donor countries for their continued commitment to strengthening democratic processes in Libya and their support to the Commission through the project.
The donors acknowledged the progress made by the Commission and the project, pointing out the importance of maintaining effective electoral support going forward. This is to ensure that the Commission is technically prepared to conduct credible electoral operations when they are required.