On Friday, it was announced that the constitutional framework for the Libyan general elections, to be held on December 24, could not be determined during the latest Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) meetings in Nyon.
Members of the LPDF met from June 28 to July 2 to establish the constitutional basis for presidential and parliamentary elections to be held on December 24. Making a statement after the talks, UNSMIL Coordinator Raisedon Zenenga stated that they came to the meetings held in Nyon, Switzerland with a clear agenda, that the Forum was extended for one more day due to the lack of consensus, and that they established a Reconciliation Committee in this direction.
Expressing that the 13-member Reconciliation Committee could not come together on a common point, Zenenga stated that they could not reach a solution despite all the opportunities. Nevertheless, Zenenga emphasized that the Libyan people who want to exercise their democratic rights will be disappointed with the results of the LPDF. Reminding that the road map determined by the UN should be adhered to, Zenenga underlined that they will continue to work to determine the constitutional basis of the December 24 elections.
A mutual ceasefire was achieved in Libya in October 2020 by the 5+5 Joint Military Committee, and as a result of the LPDF’s first meeting in Tunisia in November 2020, 24 December was decided as a date for the general elections. As a result of the voting by LPDF members in Geneva on February 5, Mohamed al-Menfi was elected as the head of the interim Presidential Council, and Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh was elected as Prime Minister until the elections scheduled for the end of the year.
In addition, the chaotic environment created by the continuation of the discussions on the elections has been exploited by some local elements in Libya. Khalifa Haftar, the leader of the militia groups in the east, stated that “if the elections do not take place, they will attack Tripoli again.”
