The UN Envoy to Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily urged “all notables, prominent figures, cultural and community leaders to actively engage and provide complete backing to the electoral process, in support of the holding of peaceful elections this year.”
In a thread on Twitter, UNSMIL added that as part of his initiative to enable elections through a comprehensive approach, Bathily met on Friday with a “group of notables and social leaders from Cyrenaica, on the margins of the 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) and military and security leaders meeting in Benghazi.”
The notables “stressed their commitment to national reconciliation, and to an inclusive political process to ensure that Presidential and Parliamentary elections are held in 2023.”
Notably, Bathily urged the JMC and security and military commanders to “highlight their commitment to ensuring an environment conducive to holding elections.”
“Let’s close all doors to conflict and have the doors wide open for constructive dialogue and reconciliation,” he said during a meeting in Benghazi.
Bathily affirmed that his initiative is meant to “provide a platform to advance consensus around related matters and ensure the security of elections and people. Including female candidates and voters, so that they can exercise their political rights with no fear. Your renewed commitment to the people of Libya, to ensure a conducive security environment before, during, and after elections as well as acceptance of election results, must be clearly demonstrated.”
The UN Envoy urged the military leaders to “cooperate in creating the necessary conditions for peace and stability in Libya,” voicing his hope that this meeting “will be a start to move forward and agree to adopt a pact of honour shaping a conducive political environment and committing to secure, free, and fair elections in 2023, and to endorse the results.”
He went on to say, “In this holy month of compassion and forgiveness, I expect you to demonstrate fraternity and historical unity tonight, by putting practical steps for the safe return of the Internally Displaced Persons and the release of detainees.”
In addition, Bathily called for “opening the doors of prisons and detention centers in order to rejoice together in the houses and streets of Libya.”
The UN Envoy noted that the “current political stalemate needs time, perseverance, and patience. Your continued coordination and cooperation represent a great opportunity to sustain dialogue, build trust, and exchange views on how to provide a solid foundation for a political resolution to the decade-long crisis in Libya.”
He affirmed that “peace, stability, development, and prosperity are the fruits of true reconciliation, goodwill, and real compromise from the few for the greater good of the whole nation. Enmity, hate, conflict, and wars are all about destruction to your nations as much as souls. I wish that we will have fruitful discussions with concrete results for the way ahead to tackle these matters, which are critical to sustainable peace and stability in Libya.”
