Abdoulaye Bathily, the United Nations envoy to Libya, announced on Monday that he has informed the Security Council of his intention to “gather the main Libyan institutions and actors, or their trusted representatives, to reach a final settlement through comprehensive negotiations and moderate solutions regarding the most contentious issues.”
In a statement by the UN mission, Bathily stated that he will intensify his communication in the coming weeks with the main Libyan institutions, as well as political and security leaders, as a precursor to these negotiations.
The UN envoy emphasized that he relies on the cooperation of all relevant Libyan institutions and active parties to work together in finding the necessary moderate solutions to settle the various politically disputed points and reach a political solution that paves the way for successful elections.
Bathily Calls on the House of Representatives and State Council to Address Legal Gaps in Election Laws
In this regard, he called on the House of Representatives and the High Council of State to “collaborate with the High National Elections Commission in addressing legal gaps and technical deficiencies that have been identified and make the necessary technical amendments to the two draft election laws prepared by the (6+6) Committee in a way that makes them applicable.”
Bathily emphasized that “all Libyan parties must learn from the mistakes and setbacks that occurred in 2021 and 2022 and refrain from any action – including unilateral decisions or decisions lacking inclusiveness – that would deepen the crisis or divert attention from our common goal of enabling successful elections that meet the aspirations of the Libyan people.”
Furthermore, Bathily praised the efforts of the (6+6) Committee as an important step forward but reiterated that “the current formulations of the election laws in their present form will not enable us to conduct successful elections.”
He stated that “there is a need for further work to make the election laws applicable by addressing the legal gaps and technical deficiencies identified by the High National Elections Commission.” Thus, he saw the necessity for the main Libyan institutions and key parties to reach a comprehensive political settlement on the most contentious issues, as outlined in his briefing to the Security Council on June 19, such as presidential candidacy requirements, the stipulation of a mandatory second round for presidential elections, and the demand for the formation of a new interim government before the elections.
The UN envoy mentioned in the statement the Security Council Resolution 2656 of 2022, which was adopted on October 28, 2022, and called for the Libyan main institutions and parties “to agree on a roadmap for holding elections as soon as possible throughout the country, based on constitutional and legal grounds, through transparent, inclusive, and constructive dialogue and moderate solutions, aiming to achieve matters that include the formation of a unified Libyan government capable of governing the entire country and representing the entire Libyan people.”
Bathily: Discussed with Various Parties the Launch of a Path Leading to Successful Elections
In this regard, he stated that he has been in communication over the past few months with all Libyan leaders, both political and security, as well as relevant institutions, representatives of civil society, women and youth, dignitaries, municipal councils, political parties, and other components of the Libyan society to discuss the launch of a path leading to successful, comprehensive, and credible elections at the earliest opportunity and in a secure environment based on equal opportunities.
He affirmed that he continuously encouraged the House of Representatives and the State Council to assume their responsibilities and accomplish the constitutional and legal framework for the elections. The mission has dedicated a team of experts in elections, constitution, and gender equality to provide technical assistance to the (6+6) Committee during the preparation of the two draft election laws.
