On Friday, the U.N. Mission in Libya announced that its advisory committee has completed its consultations and developed a series of options to tackle the contentious aspects of Libya’s electoral framework. The Mission will initiate discussions with Libyan stakeholders based on these proposed options. The Advisory Committee, established by UNSMIL in February, aimed to identify solutions to the challenges preventing the long-awaited national elections.
The Mission stated, ‘The options put forth by the Committee will significantly aid in achieving a political consensus for conducting national elections and in unifying state institutions, which are crucial for ending divisions and the ongoing transitional cycle.’ The political process aimed at resolving over a decade of conflict in Libya has been stalled since the collapse of an election planned for December 2021, which was marred by disputes regarding the eligibility of key candidates.
Since the NATO-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has experienced minimal peace and has been divided since 2014 into eastern and western factions, each governed by rival administrations. A Government of National Unity based in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, was established through a U.N.-supported process in 2021; however, the Benghazi-based House of Representatives no longer recognizes its legitimacy.
Many Libyans express skepticism regarding the sincerity of their political leaders in negotiations, suspecting that they are reluctant to advance elections that could jeopardize their positions of power.
