The Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily offered support to the 6+6 Joint Committee, in order to expedite the process to hold comprehensive, free, and fair elections in Libya in 2023.
This came in an official memorandum addressed by Bathily to the Parliament Speaker, Ageela Saleh, and the Head of the High Council of State (HCS), Khaled Al-Mishri.
Bathily confirmed the UN’s readiness to provide “technical and logistical support, as well as providing UN experts to help the 6+6 Joint Committee.” He affirmed his aspiration to “receive the response of the two chambers as soon as possible, given the need to start the meetings of the committee very soon.”
The Envoy stressed the importance of “achieving the necessary progress to achieve the aspirations of the Libyan people to hold free and fair elections.”
On February 27, Bathily announced an initiative aimed at enabling legislative and Presidential elections this year, and will set up a high-level steering panel, he told the United Nations Security Council earlier this month.
The proposed mechanism will bring together all relevant Libyan stakeholders, including representatives of political institutions, major political figures, tribal leaders, civil society organizations, security actors, women, and youth representatives.
Bathily noted that the initiative will facilitate the adoption of the legal framework and time-bound roadmap to the holding of elections in 2023. The proposed panel will also “provide a platform to advance consensus around related matters, such as election security and the adoption of a Code of Conduct for all candidates,” he added.
Earlier this month, Saleh called on the 6+6 committee to accelerate its work concerning drafting election laws.
Saleh made his remarks during a meeting with the six committee members who represent the Parliament, namely: Noureddine Khaled, Jalal Al-Shwehdi, Salih Qelma, Abu Salah Shalabi, Miloud Al-Aswad, and Ezzedine Qwereb.
Along with their counterparts from the HCS, the 12 MP’s are tasked with drafting laws that will serve as the constitutional basis for holding Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Libya.