The Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Libya, Jose Antonio Sabadell has called on the EU for support in the upcoming Libya elections.
He stated this view during a meeting with the chairman of the Libyan Higher National Commission of Elections, Emad Al-Sayeh.
According to a statement from the elections commission, both parties discussed updates of the elections with respect to the current political situation, the level of readiness especially following the voter registration process as well as the most important preparations for the next stage.
Sabadell praised the commission’s efforts for voters registration, which he said will contribute to holding the elections on time and expressed his delegation’s readiness to cooperate with the commission to organize successful elections.
The UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum early in February selected a new executive authority of a unity government and a presidency council, whose main duty will be to prepare for the general elections to be held on Dec. 24 this year.
The US had proposed a staggered Libyan presidential election ending in the last quarter of 2022, in a bid to salvage a roadmap for polls in December resisted by the transitional government and other Libyan factions.
The US proposal, presented to the other P3+2 countries (France, Britain, Germany and Italy), would have Libyans commit to a first round of presidential elections on 24 December, along with parliamentary elections, and then a second and final round on 15 September 2022.
Although according to Libya’s foreign minister, Najla Mangoush, it is looking like the elections may have to be rescheduled if parliament delays the ratification of electoral law.
United Nations envoy to Libya had warned that time was running short to prepare for the polls, after recent talks in Geneva exposed deep divisions over when to hold elections, what elections to hold and on what constitutional grounds.
The minister also stated that there would be a consultative meeting of neighboring countries and friendly states in late September or early October, with the security of the polls high on the agenda.