Libya Herald reporters.
Tunis, 7 January 2018:
The Libyan National Army has arrested a number of people accused of involvement in the murder of an Abyar education official who had just announced his intention to run in parliamentary elections.
Saiqa Speical Forces spokesman Milad Zwai said the arrests were made together with the Criminal Investigation Department.
Last week, Salah Al-Qatrani, the head of the education office in Abyar, 50 km’s east of Benghazi, was shot by unknown gunmen in the town. He was rushed to Benghazi’s Al-Jalaa hospital but died from his wounds.
Reports said Qatrani had already received threats when it became apparent he was considering running for election.
The incident puts into focus the call for elections to be held in 2018 by the various Libyan political contestants and the UNSMIL head Ghassan Salame. Critics of early elections fear that another election contest will only exacerbate the existing tensions between and within the various Libyan political camps. They say that reconciliation should be reached prior to elections.
Those in favour of elections see no way past the current deadlock between the political contenders that has continued since 2014. They say the electorate – the Libyan public – is the only way to renew a political mandate out of the current transitional stage.
