UN envoy says elections can be held by end of 2023 if HoR and HCS agree on legislations

The UN envoy to Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, said in a press conference in Tripoli on Saturday that if electoral laws are put in place in June, elections can be held at the end of this year, adding that he believed that the House of Representatives (HoR) and the High Council of State (HCS) would not take more than several months to devise the final draft of electoral laws, reiterating that during this period, prioritizing a security environment for elections is necessary.

Bathily added that if the 6+6 joint committee between the HoR and HCS worked within a reasonable time frame and came up with a reliable constitutional and legal basis for elections, confidence in those two chambers would be restored. He indicated that the success of elections is related to the freedom of movement of candidates in all regions of Libya, saying that the list of candidates would be open to everyone who wishes to run, and that the judiciary would take necessary measures against candidates.

“Libya should not be left alone in the hands of the HoR and HCS, nobody should resort to hate speech, and competition should be free among the candidates. We stress the need for a code of good conduct to be signed by the candidates.” Bathily explained.

He added that the high-level team proposed by the UN mission to assist in holding elections will work in a flexible manner so that the main parties work constructively on the main issue of holding the elections. The concerned parties on the ground would be asked to negotiate directly or through their representatives. There are no externally imposed solutions to the Libyan crisis.

The UN envoy also said that the high-level team would seek to involve the concerned parties to reach elections that meet the aspirations of the Libyans, stressing that giving the people an opportunity to choose their leaders is the way towards peace and stability in Libya, and that prolonging this situation would undermine the territorial integrity of Libya and the unity of its people.

He further explained that temporary arrangements, ongoing transitional governments, and outgoing legislative bodies put Libya in danger, and that the regional dimensions of the Libyan crisis are clear to everyone, calling on external parties to work with one voice to support a Libyan-Libyan solution.

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