Libyan Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha affirmed that his government welcomes the efforts of the United Nations Support Mission (UNSMIL) and the efforts of the advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Stephanie Williams, regarding “supporting the constitutional process through constitutional committees chosen by the Parliament and the High Council of State.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Bashagha said that the Libyan government urges all parties to support this path and deal positively, in order to achieve this entitlement, “which will be the basis for the elections that the government has pledged and is still committed to providing all kinds of political, technical and logistical support, and to create the necessary conditions for holding them in all of Libya.”
The Libyan Prime Minister stressed that ensuring that the elections are held and achieved on a constitutional and fair basis requires the concerted efforts of all local and international parties to “stop the political and military escalation practiced by the outgoing government, which is still usurping power and occupying government headquarters in the capital Tripoli.”
Bashagha’s statement concluded that the unity government headed by Dabaiba is based on the imposition of a fait accompli, and exploits the Libyan government’s keenness not to use violence and military escalation, noting that the Dabaiba government’s continuation of “the usurpation of power and the threat of violence would undermine, through its irresponsible behavior, the ceasefire agreement.”
“It will also undermine local and international efforts to hold elections, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the principles of democracy and the civil state.” The statement added.
The Libyan Parliament formed a committee to implement the constitutional basis for elections, which raised some questions about the fate of the Libyan government headed by Fathi Bashagha, while the UN advisor Stephanie Williams said in this regard that “it is not the responsibility of the UN mission nor its role to recognize or not recognize any government.”
At the same time, Willams stressed that “the UNSMIL is making every effort to prevent any armed clash in the country,” and this is what Bashagha warned against in his statement on Wednesday.
