On Saturday, Libya’s High National Election Commission (HNEC) said that it will adopt some judicial and legal procedures before announcing the final list of candidates eligible to run for the country’s presidential elections and the start of their electoral campaigns.
In a statement, the HNEC explained that the judicial procedures will be issued after coordinating with the Supreme Judicial Council of Libya. It will also hold talks with the legal committee formed by the House of Representatives (HoR).
“Given the critical political and security conditions being witnessed by Libya, the Commission will be keen to exhaust all litigation methods to ensure that its decisions fully comply with the applicable court rulings, in a way that enhances the principle of credibility in the implementation of laws,” the HNEC added.
The HNEC stressed that the success of the electoral process is a joint responsibility. Its results will cast a shadow over the country’s present and future, adding that its role is not limited to implementing the law but extending to correcting it.
On Thursday, the HNEC announced that a total of 5,385 candidates have registered for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
It added that the candidates have submitted the required legal documents stipulated by the candidates’ registration regulation. These are now being reviewed by the HNEC according to the election laws.
The registration for the parliamentary elections ended on Thursday.
More than 2.8 million people are expected to cast their votes to choose a President in the 24th of December elections, as part of a roadmap adopted by the United Nations (UN)-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF). The parliamentary elections originally planned to be held simultaneously with the Presidential polls, have been postponed until January 2022.
Notably, Libya is less than a month from presidential elections seen as crucial to ending its long-running civil war, but deep political divisions could provoke a delay or threaten to renew violence.
Western officials have talked up an UN-led peace process, insisting on “inclusive” and “credible” elections on the 24th of December, despite serious disputes over how they should be held.