On Monday, the Chairman of Libya’s High National Elections Commission, Emad Al-Sayeh, held a meeting in Tripoli with the French Ambassador to Libya, Mostafa Mihraje, to discuss the Commission’s preparations for the 2025 municipal elections.
The meeting is part of the wider engagement between Libya and the international community, especially France, in supporting the country’s fragile yet vital democratic path.
The discussions focused on the readiness of the Commission to organize local elections across Libya in accordance with international electoral standards.
Al-Sayeh presented an overview of the Commission’s progress in logistical planning, legal framework development, and institutional capacity-building aimed at ensuring a transparent and inclusive electoral process.
For his part, Mihraje reaffirmed France’s strong commitment to supporting Libya’s democratic transition and expressed appreciation for the Commission’s ongoing efforts to overcome political and technical challenges.
He emphasized France’s willingness to offer technical assistance, advisory expertise, and institutional support to help ensure the success of the upcoming elections.
Since 2011, Libya’s democratic trajectory has faced repeated setbacks due to political fragmentation, armed conflict, and institutional paralysis.
National elections have been repeatedly postponed, and the resulting power vacuum has fueled public frustration and weakened trust in state institutions. In this context, municipal elections have become an important entry point for rebuilding citizen confidence and promoting decentralization.
The 2025 municipal vote is expected to be a pivotal moment for Libya’s political future. Beyond choosing local councils, the elections are seen as a step toward restoring basic governance in towns and cities across the country. International observers view successful municipal elections as a way to lay the foundation for future national votes, and to foster greater political inclusion from the grassroots level.
