By Sami Zaptia.
London, 19 March 2021:
The Political Working Group (PWG) of the International Follow-Up Committee on Libya (IFCL) held a meeting on yesterday to review the progress attained thus far in advancing a comprehensive political settlement of the situation in Libya, and pursuing the implementation of the Roadmap for the Preparatory Phase adopted by the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF), with a view towards holding national elections on 24 December 2021.
Members of the Group were briefed by the Chairperson of Libya’s High National Elections Commission (HNEC), Emad Al-Sayeh, on the activities and preparations by HNEC for organizing and conducting the national elections. They further discussed with Sayeh the support and assistance that the participants of the Berlin process can offer to HNEC with a view to successfully concluding the electoral process.
Following the meeting, the Co-Chairs of the Political Working Group:
- Commended once again the important progress achieved thus far by the Libyan people and stakeholders in implementing the LPDF Roadmap and advancing the political process.
- Welcomed the important vote by the House of Representatives (HoR) to grant its confidence to the Government of National Unity (GNU), and the swearing-in of the GNU before the HoR in Tobruk and of the Presidency Council before the Constitutional Court in Tripoli.
- Welcomed the peaceful transition of authority from the outgoing government to the new Executive Authority under the leadership of President Mohamed Al-Menfi and Prime Minister Abd Alhamid Aldabaiba.
- Expressed their continued support for the new Executive Authority, and all relevant institutions, in their efforts to successfully complete the Preparatory Phase, including through the unification of all Libyan institutions, and the promotion of national reconciliation.
- Commended the commitment of Libya’s new leadership to uphold the date of 24 December 2021 to conduct national elections, and recalled the importance of achieving swift progress towards enacting the required legal framework for the successful conduct of these elections in line with the LPDF Roadmap.
- Welcomed the comprehensive briefing of the Chairperson of HNEC, emphasized the important role of HNEC in undertaking and concluding the necessary preparations for the forthcoming national presidential and parliamentary elections, and expressed their full support for all efforts aimed at conducting these elections timely and in a fair, free and credible manner.
- Emphasized that the conduct of free, fair and credible national elections requires a conducive political and security environment where all Libyan stakeholders commit in advance to respect and abide by their results and voters are allowed to safely exercise their democratic rights throughout the country without intimidation or interference.
- Commended the explicit commitment and resolve of Libya’s new leadership and institutions to fully restore Libya’s sovereignty and preserve its independence and territorial integrity, and stressed, in this context, the need for the full, immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all foreign forces and removal of all foreign mercenaries from the entirety of Libyan territory, and the acceleration of efforts aimed at comprehensively addressing the threat posed by armed groups and militias, in order to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
