On Tuesday, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to Libya, and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily, held a meeting with the French Ambassador to Libya, Mostafa Mihraje in Tripoli.
During the talks, the two reviewed the latest political developments in the country. They also discussed the need for the international community to take unified action, to support a sustained path to peace and stability.
Bathily said that “it is critical that peace, stability, and legitimate institutions are restored in Libya.
On Saturday, Mihraje affirmed his support for a consensus between the Libyan Parliament and the High Council of State (HCS), to reach an agreement on electoral laws and legislation, to achieve stability in the country.
This came during the Ambassador’s meeting with the Chairman of the HCS, Khaled Al-Mishri, accompanied by his second Deputy, Omar Boushah.
During the meeting, they discussed several issues, including the recent meetings on securing a consensual constitutional basis. This aims to break the political stalemate, and hold the long-delayed elections.
Earlier this month, the Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Ageela Saleh, and Al-Mishri agreed to set “a clear and specific roadmap for elections.”
The roadmap aims “to organise elections and unify state institutions,” according to a joint statement issued by the two chambers.
Saleh and Al-Mishri met in Cairo on 5 January, where they agreed to create a joint committee to refer the constitutional document to the two chambers for approval.
Libya has been in chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The county has for years been split between rival administrations, each backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.
The current stalemate grew out of the failure to hold elections in December, and the refusal of Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbaiba, who is leading the transitional government, to step down. In response, the country’s eastern-based Parliament appointed a rival Prime Minister, Fathi Bashagha, who has for months sought to install his government in Tripoli.
