By Sami Zaptia.
London, 19 January 2021:
UNSMIL has just announced that the 74-member Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) has today approved the selection mechanism for Libya’s new temporary interim government to prepare the country for the 24 December elections.
UNSMIL reported that 72 out of the 74 LPDF members voted with 51 (73 percent) voting in favour of the proposed mechanism, and 19 voted against. Two members abstained and two others did not engage in the process.
The 73% percent of votes in favour of the proposed mechanism takes it over the stipulated 63 percent threshold set by the Advisory Committee.
The details of the complex mechanism: 70 percent threshold v regional list system
- On the basis of the proposal devised by the Advisory Committee, each electoral college shall separately nominate their respective representative to the Presidency Council based on the principle of agreement and selection 70 per cent.
- If this is not possible, lists shall be formed from all regions. Each list shall consist of 4 persons who will specify the position for which they are running: i.e. President of the Presidency Council, member of Presidency Council, or Prime Minister.
- In order for the list to be presented for voting by the Plenary, it must receive 17 endorsements (8 from the West, 6 from the East, and 3 from the South).
- The winning list shall be the one that receives 60% of the votes of the Plenary in the first round.
- If none of the lists receive this percentage, the two lists that received the highest percentage shall compete in the second round.
- The winning list in that round shall be the one that receives 50%+1 in the Plenary.
Here is today’s UNSMIL announcement in full:
Following the agreement on a proposal for the selection mechanism of a unified executive authority, reached by the Advisory Committee of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) in Geneva on 16 January, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) conducted a one-day voting process, from Monday 18 January 10:00 AM to Tuesday 19 January 10:00 AM, during which the LPDF members were asked to cast their vote on the proposal.
Seventy-two LPDF members engaged in the voting process, with 51 voting in favor of the proposed mechanism, representing almost 73 percent of the votes cast, and 19 members voting against. Two members abstained and two others did not engage in the process.
With 73% (seventy-three percent) of the votes cast in favor of the Advisory Committee’s proposal, the proposal has therefore passed by exceeding the stipulated threshold of the voting process, set by the Advisory Committee at 63% (sixty-three percent) of the cast votes.
The Mission commends the LPDF members who engaged in the voting process for their commitment to the UN-facilitated intra- Libyan dialogue, and for upholding their responsibilities before the Libyan people.
Acting Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Stephanie Williams said welcoming the vote: “Today marks the first anniversary of the Berlin International Conference on Libya. With this vote, LPDF members took a significant step forward towards the implementation of the Roadmap adopted in Tunis in mid-November. Libyans have now a genuine opportunity to move past their differences and divisions, select a temporary government to reunify their institutions through the long-awaited democratic national elections, which will take place on 24 December 2021.”
UNSMIL is finalizing the nomination procedure and forms as well as a timeline for the voting process, which will be shared with the LPDF shortly. A committee of the LPDF will verify the submissions to ensure full transparency.
