UN envoy calls for unified gov’t to facilitate Libya elections

Libyan House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aguila Saleh and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Libya Abdoulaye Bathily emphasized on Saturday the urgent need for a unified government to facilitate general elections in Libya.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Bathily said he had discussed with Saleh the current political developments in Qubba, eastern Libya, adding that the two sides agreed on the importance of “conducting elections under a unified government supported by key stakeholders.”

Following the meeting, the HoR issued a statement in which Saleh stressed the necessity of appointing a new government to replace the current Government of National Unity (GNU), with the aim of holding presidential and parliamentary elections as soon as possible.

Libya was unable to hold general elections in December 2021 as initially planned due to disagreements among political parties over election laws.

In January, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah expressed his government’s readiness to hold general elections in 2023.

The HoR is the legislative body established as a result of the 2014 Libyan parliamentary election. In late 2014, the HoR relocated to Tobruk in the far east of Libya following the occupation of Tripoli by armed groups during the Second Libyan Civil War.

From 2014 to 2021, the HoR supported the government in Tobruk, led by Abdullah al-Thani, before endorsing the GNU led by Dbeibeh.

In September 2021, the HoR passed a vote of no confidence against the interim GNU government.

Since the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, Libya has grappled with challenges in achieving a democratic transition, marked by violence and political divisions.