Tripoli, 28 April:
Colonel Saiq, the chairman of the Elections’ Security Committee of the Interior Ministry, assured all Libyans of the safety . . .[restrict]and tight security measures prepared by the Committee for the success of the National Conference elections which will be held in all Libyan cities.
He added in an interview with the Libyan news agency, last Wednesday 24 April, that the Commission started a training programme for police personnel of all ranks to familiarize them with their duties of securing the electoral process and that security plans had been prepared for the elections.
‘I would like to reassure all Libyans that our country is safe and secure, and that all security personnel will be performing their duties in a professional manner, and will work hard to secure the elections with their thuwar brothers, the Supreme Security Committee and the National Army’ he stated.
Colonel Saiq pointed out that the Commission is also relying on ‘citizens’ awareness to ensure security and success of this process in order to be able participate in decision making and to practice democracy and vote freely’.
‘Libyans rose against the previous regime in order to gain freedom and democracy and as such it will be unjustifiable for any citizen to carry weapons during the ballot’, he added.
He pointed out that it would illegal to carry any type of weapon and that arms detection machines will be in use at all polling stations.
Furthermore, he stated that there is close coordination between the Commission, the Supreme Security Committee and the Military Councils, adding that there is also full coordination between the Ministries of Interior and Defence to ensure the success of this process.
Those thuwar who have joined the Ministry of Interior will have a role to play in ensuring this process which will be defined by the Ministry. The thuwar who did not join the Ministry will remain with their military councils in the hope that they too will help make the process a success and fulfill Libyans desire and aspiration to establish a state of justice, equality, freedom and democracy, he explained.
The chairman of the Elections’ Security Committee pointed out that the Ministry has trained and graduated hundreds of officers in the various security domains who will work in securing the elections. He admitted that the Committee did not face many obstacles, however, but stressed that if any such obstacles are face on the way, they will be resolved swiftly especially since the whole country is in favour of holding the elections on schedule.
He freely admitted that the Interior Ministry definitely needed the help of other ministries, especially the ministries of Education, Health, Transport and Finance.
‘We did not seek help from any foreign cooperation except from the United Nations Mission and United Nations Advisors whose contribution along with that of the Supreme advisory Commission will be to ensure a smooth elections process through their past experiences in other countries’, Colonel Saiq concluded. [/restrict]
