At an international conference held in Paris on Friday, Libyan authorities committed to holding the country’s presidential elections on December 24.
France organised the summit along with Libya, Germany, and Italy to ensure that Libya holds presidential and legislative elections next month after years of conflict and civil war following the ousting and killing of the longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The conference culminated in several high-level meetings in France, Palermo, and Berlin amid Europe’s intense diplomacy on Libya.
French President Emmanuel Macron, outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister (PM) Mario Draghi, Libyan head of the presidential council Mohammad Younes Menfi and PM Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres attended the conference along with other senior European leaders. Other notable attendees inlcuded United States (US) Vice-President Kamala Harris, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal.
The conference’s final declaration stated: “We reiterate our commitment to the success of the Libyan political process, to the full implementation of the 23 October 2020 ceasefire agreement and to the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections on 24 December 2021, per the Libyan political roadmap and United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions 2570 and 2571 (2021) and the Berlin II conference conclusions.” Furthermore, the participants committed to holding free, fair, and inclusive elections and rejected any foreign interference in Libya’s domestic affairs.
Libyan PM Dbeibah highlighted the importance of ensuring acceptance of the upcoming presidential polls and penalties for those who try to obstruct or refute the results. World leaders at the conference also threatened Libya with sanctions if any actors in the country tried to falsify, refute, or obstruct the electoral process and political transition.
The leaders also committed to withdrawing foreign troops and mercenaries from the country, in accordance with the ceasefire brokered by the UN last year. Turkey expressed its displeasure in this regard and reduced the level of representation at the event by sending its deputy foreign minister instead of its foreign minister. Russia, meanwhile, has denied the presence of its troops in Libya and any connection to paramilitary organisation Wagner Group, which is reported to have strong ties to the Kremlin.
Italian PM Draghi said approximately three million Libyans have registered to vote so far. He also emphasised the need to have an electoral law at the earliest if Libya plans on holding polls next month.
Despite assurances from the Libyan authorities, world leaders remain concerned about whether elections will take place as scheduled due to concerns over security, electoral law, infighting among armed groups, and the rule of law. Libyan PM Dbeibah, who hopes to run for president, refused to explicitly commit to holding elections in December and instead said the electoral commission would determine the date. On the contrary, Libya’s current President, Mohamed Menfi, has committed to holding elections on December 24.
Last week, warlords and politicians in western Libya opposed holding the elections according to the rules enacted by the country’s east-based Parliament. Additionally, in a televised address, Khaled al-Meshri, the head of Tripoli-based Supreme Council of State, threatened to resort to violence if Khalifa Haftar, a presidential candidate and the leader of the Libyan National Army, takes office.
Nevertheless, Macron presented the conference and its resolution as a diplomatic win for Europe. At the closing of the conference, the French President said, “In this unprecedented format, and I thank Angela Merkel and Mario Draghi who co-chaired this conference with me, we showed a European will that is perfectly aligned and coordinated that allows us to go forward together on this issue.”
Libyan Authorities Commit to Holding Presidential Elections Next Month at Paris Conference
French President Macron and other senior European leaders committed to holding free and fair elections in Libya next month. They also pushed for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Libya.
November 15, 2021
French President Emmanuel Macron (centre) IMAGE SOURCE: FRANCE 24