LibyaPolitics

Libyan NGO rejects UN roadmap to hold elections in Libya

Libyan Observatory for the Defense of Rights and Freedoms rejected on Monday the roadmap set by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to hold the Libyan National Conference, which is expected to pave the way for the elections.

“The conference will not succeed, and our experience with the UN actions over the years to resolve the crisis proves that,” the Observatory said in a statement.

It added that if the conference did not succeed, the UN Peace Keeping and Security Missions will intervene in Libya, driving the country into a spiral of chaos.

The House of Representatives (HoR) bears the political and legal responsibility for the instability because it has been unable to reach consensus on the referendum to hold the election, according to the statement.

Holding elections is a major challenge in a country still split among military and political factions, and where rival governments have claimed authority since the result of a 2014 vote was disputed.

In May, France persuaded power rival parties to agree to hold elections on 10 December 2018; however, heavy fighting in the Libyan capital of Tripoli among militias have occurred since August, killing more than 100 people.

“There is still a lot to do. It may not be possible to respect the date of 10 December,” UN envoy Ghassan Salame told AFP.

the date was postponed under a new initiative led by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to hold them in spring 2019 after holding the national conference.

Libya remains divided between the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), based in Tripoli and led by Faiez Sarraj, and a rival administration in the east led by Khalifa Haftar that has support from Egypt, Russia and the UAE.

The Paris meeting brought together Sarraj and Haftar, as well as Aguila Saleh, the parliamentary speaker based in the eastern city of Tobruk, and Khalid al-Mishri, the head of the High Council of State.

The Paris agreement included a 16 September deadline to come up with an electoral law, forming a “constitutional basis,” which is still under consideration as several parties oppose it.

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