By Sami Zaptia.
London, 21 May 2021:
UNSMIL reported yesterday that the co-chairs of the Berlin Process Political Working Group (Algeria, Germany, League of Arab States and UNSMIL) convened a meeting of the Working Group on 19 May to take stock of progress on Libya’s political track.
They reiterated that the holding of national elections on 24 December 2021 remains the overarching priority to complete Libya’s preparatory phase and democratic transition as agreed in the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) Roadmap.
The co-chairs commended the work of the Legal Committee of the LPDF which prepared a proposal for a constitutional basis for the 24 December 2021 national elections. They welcomed the decision by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Head of UNSMIL, Jan Kubis, to convene a virtual plenary session of the LPDF on 26 and 27 May to consider this proposal. The co-chairs encouraged the LPDF to clarify all the outstanding points in a spirit of compromise with a view towards reaching a broad-based agreement.
The co-chairs recalled, in this context, Security Council resolution 2570 (2021) of 16 April 2021 which calls on the relevant Libyan authorities and institutions, including the House of Representatives, to facilitate the 24 December 2021 elections and to clarify the constitutional basis for elections and enact legislation as necessary, by 1 July 2021.
They welcomed the readiness of the House of Representatives, as indicated in recent statements by the Speaker of the House, to receive and consider the proposal for a constitutional basis from the LPDF.
