The British Guardian website published an article by Patrick Wintour, the website’s diplomatic affairs editor, in which he addressed the current political reality in Libya and the chances of achieving stability in the pre-election period; in order to end a decade of political chaos plaguing the country.
Wintour believes that the lack of agreement on final laws regulating elections until this moment, may constitute an opportunity for the current government in Libya to take advantage of the political impasse to remain in power indefinitely, in light of the presence of thousands of foreign fighters, funded by Russia, Turkey and other countries, and this is the issue which threatens to repeat the Afghanistan scenario in Libya.
For their part, Western countries are pressing for the elections to be held on time, and the Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, warned of an explosion in the region if the elections were not held on schedule, while the US envoy to Libya, Richard Norland, stressed the commitment on the date of the election. On the other hand, France will hold a conference on November 12 to support the electoral process and ensure that it is conducted on time.
Disagreement over electoral laws, says Wintour; it is a central problem at the present time, while the parliament’s decision to withdraw confidence from the government constitutes the “biggest dilemma,” which would increase the internal division in Libya, in light of the government’s rejection of the decision and the popular voices that came out in opposition to the decision.
However, analysts believe that the Dabaiba government is happy to reach an impasse over the elections, which will allow it to remain in office for a longer period of time.
However, the biggest Western fear is the Russian and Turkish control of the country, if elections are not held on time.
Wintour concludes with a political vision that includes two solutions to get out of the current crisis.The first is UN pressure on the current government in Libya to accept the UN mandate to impose an electoral law, which some Libyan politicians are demanding.
As for the second solution; it is acknowledging the failure to hold the elections on time, and starting anew by creating ideal conditions for holding future elections.
