UN launches new attempt for Libya's electoral process

The United Nations has announced the convening of a technical committee of Libyan experts to resolve contentious points and lead the country onto the desired path to national elections, as stated by the acting head of the UN mission in Libya, Stephanie Koury. The political process to resolve the conflict in Libya, ongoing for over a decade, has stalled since the failure of the elections planned for December 2021, which was due to disputes over the eligibility of key candidates. The new committee of experts will seek solutions for outstanding issues in the electoral laws. The goal is to develop strategies to achieve elections as soon as possible. This could be achieved through proposed guarantees, assurances, and a concrete timeline, according to Koury. Although a UN-backed unity government under Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah was installed in 2021, the Libyan parliament no longer recognizes it. However, Dbeibah has stated he will not hand over power to a new government without national elections. Since the end of the NATO-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has seen little peace and has been divided since 2014 between eastern and western factions with rival administrations. While all major political actors in the country have repeatedly called for elections, many Libyans express doubts about their seriousness since such a step could displace most of them from their positions of power. UNSMIL also aims to continue working on the unification of military and security institutions and, together with partners, advance national reconciliation, added Koury.