The Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations for Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, welcomed, Tuesday before the Security Council, a “new dynamic” which “is at work in Libya”.
Speaking about the situation prevailing in this North African country, Bathily, also the head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), shared the actions he is carrying out on the ground in the objective of facilitating the holding of elections this year, « the only option », according to him, to overcome the political impasse in the country.
This official spoke of his numerous consultations with a view to concretizing presidential and legislative elections before the end of the year, on the basis of a solid constitutional framework.
According to him, the active mobilization of all stakeholders, including the Presidential Council, the government, the House of Representatives and the High Council of State, is essential to reach a consensus on political and security issues as well as those related to the participation of women and young people.
This senior official indicated that because of the difficulty of bringing these different interlocutors together in one place, he tries to help them find common ground and make compromises.
Over the past two months, he has had meetings with leading political figures, including members of the Chamber of Deputies, the High Council of State and the Presidential Council. His initiative launched to facilitate the holding of elections would have extended to tribal leaders and representatives of civil society, including women and young people.
In order to promote the country’s territorial integrity and engage all armed actors to secure the elections, the special representative also affirmed that he had worked to bring the 5+5 Joint Military Commission closer to Libyan military and security actors, including armed groups. operating in the three regions that make up Libya, during meetings organized in Tunis, Tripoli, Benghazi and Sebha, during March and April.
On these occasions, he continued, the participants pledged to support all stages of the elections, to reject violence, to guarantee the return of displaced persons, to release detainees and to address the issue of disappeared in the context of national reconciliation.
He welcomed these commitments, which have already been followed by the release of six detainees in western Libya; and also welcomed the meeting, on April 13, of the two chiefs of staff in Benghazi, showing their commitment to continue the reunification of the army and to support the electoral process. Bathily urged political actors to follow the example set by military and security officials.
In addition, he informed that he had organized several series of consultations in Tripoli, Benghazi and Sebha with Libyans from the three regions representing civil society, women, youth, political parties, notables and the various cultural components, to take into account their views on the elections and their demands for more inclusion.
This axis of engagement, he continues, also aims to ensure the adoption of a code of conduct so that all candidates and electoral actors engage in the electoral process in a constructive manner and accept the results.
By OMA Newsletter N° 1137 of 19/04/2023
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
