The Libyan Parliament announced this Wednesday (22) the postponement of the presidential elections scheduled to take place on Friday (24). The election, projected as the most important development of a peace process in the North African country, was initially postponed for a month.
The electoral commission said it was impossible to hold the elections, which have already been the target of internal disputes in recent months, when several candidates, including the son of dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who died in 2011, were prevented from running for president.
The election is the result of a peace process mediated by the United Nations to end the social chaos and conflicts between factions in the east and west of the country of just over 6.8 million inhabitants.
After a ceasefire agreement was signed in October 2020, a transitional government was structured to govern Libya until elections were held this month.
Many Libyans had already registered to obtain voter registration and go to the polls, which parties from all political spectrums characterized as a strong sign of a desire for popular participation. The factor intensified criticisms regarding the postponement of the vote.
Even so, there were fears that the election could raise to the presidency a party with separatist banners, which would return Libya to the regional division that led to a bloody war before the ceasefire. Candidates are debating whether a longer delay could help establish a more secure legal basis for voting.
The United Nations Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs in Libya, Stephanie Williams, said she was meeting with actors from the political forum that started the electoral process last year and reiterated the need for free, fair and credible elections.
The US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, said in a statement that the country was concerned and disappointed by the postponement of the elections and called on Libyan leaders to promptly resolve any obstacles to holding the elections, such as the finalization of the list of candidates eligible to apply.
“At this critical juncture in Libya’s trajectory, it is more important than ever that Libyans are vigilant about misinformation that only benefits those who wish to interrupt the country’s future progress,” added Norland.
The postponement of the elections has raised fears that the peace process may be at stake in the African country and that a new round of civil clashes could begin. The status of the interim government, which was supposed to bid farewell on Friday, has also been questioned.
So far, despite UN efforts, there has been no agreement on the constitutional basis for the election or on the rules among the country’s fragmented political institutions. The head of the electoral commission, Emand Sayeh, said the postponement is justified because the rules are not adequate to deal with eligibility disputes.
The three most prominent candidates in the elections were also those whose names were most involved in controversy. They are: the military man Khalifa Haftar, the son of the dictator Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam, and the interim prime minister, Abdulhamid al-Dbeiba.
Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army, is rebuffed by many westerners in the west of the country for leading attacks on the capital, Tripoli, which destroyed parts of the region just over a year ago. He made several attempts to unify the divided Libya under his control and even proclaimed himself the country’s ruler in 2020.
Gaddafi was convicted by a Libyan court of war crimes committed during the popular uprising against his father and has also been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2011. Al-Dbeiba had already promised, when he took over as domestic prime minister, that he would not run for one election.
Libya has been experiencing profound instability since the uprising supported by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in 2011, which led to the death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
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