On Monday, the committee recommended first creating a “realistic and feasible timetable with defined stages, instead of setting new dates and repeating the same mistakes”. The ballot box, which was actually scheduled for December 24th, was postponed at short notice due to internal debates.
The commission opposed a proposal by the electoral commission, which had spoken out in favor of holding the presidential election parallel to the parliamentary elections on January 24th. The election, originally scheduled for December 24th, had already been moved to January in October. In its report to the MPs, the parliamentary commission also asked for a new constitution to be drawn up. She also spoke out in favor of reshuffling the government, whose mandate should have ended on Friday with the election. Parliament now has to discuss the Commission’s proposals.
Both votes are part of a political process under UN supervision, which also resulted in a ceasefire that was concluded in October 2020. From the perspective of the international community, the elections are a decisive step towards ending the civil war in Libya in the long term. The USA, France, Great Britain, Germany and Italy on Friday called for a quick decision on a new schedule for the presidential election.
Since the overthrow of long-time ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has tried to free itself from the chaos. This was characterized by rival forces in the east and west of the country, each of which received military support from abroad. Between April 2019 and June 2020, the influential General Khalifa Haftar tried unsuccessfully to conquer Tripoli. A ceasefire was then signed in October 2020.
Source: Nachrichten
