Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC) on Sunday announced a plan for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.
According to the Commission Head, President Imad Al-Sayah, the polling day for the first round of the presidential elections is due to be held on Dec. 24, determined in the Commissioner’s proposal that is approved by the House of Representatives.
The second round of the presidential elections will be held simultaneously with the parliamentary elections at a later date, The Commissioner will announce the results of both electoral processes simultaneously upon completion.
The recommendation forms will be uploaded in advance on the official website of the HNEC to give enough time for candidates to prepare and submit them as soon as the nomination begins.
According to the HNEC, the total number of registered Libyan voters, both at home and abroad, is 2,865,624. The new authority’s main task is to prepare for the general elections to be held on Dec. 24.
Registration for candidates in Libya’s presidential and parliamentary elections should open in November, the head of the electoral commission said on Sunday.
The electoral process could be carried out under favourable conditions since the pacification of the country seems to be advancing. On Sunday, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Head Jan Kubis praised the achievements secured by the Libyan 5+5 Joint Military Commission (JMC) since the signing of the 2020 cease-fire agreement.
“The cease-fire agreement has paved the road for the Libyan-led and -owned comprehensive political process towards the sustainable stability, unity, prosperity, and full sovereignty of Libya,” he said, adding that “the JMC has also reached another important milestone by signing a comprehensive Action Plan for the gradual, balanced, and sequenced withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters, and foreign forces from Libya.”
War erupted in April 2019 between the eastern-based army and the former UN-backed government of national accord in and around the capital Tripoli and lasted for more than a year, before the JMC signed a cease-fire agreement in Geneva in October 2020.
Last week, the first group of UN officials to support the Libyan cease-fire monitoring mechanism arrived in Libya. They will be working under the guidance of the JMC to monitor the cease-fire and verify the withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters, and foreign forces.