UN affirms support for Libya to end transitional period

By Mohamed Ertima

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - The UN secretary-general’s special adviser on Libya said Thursday said that the global body is standing by the Libyan people to end the transitional period.

After a meeting with representatives of a consortium of political parties, Stephanie Williams tweeted: "The UN will stand by the Libyan people in their demand for an electoral process to end the long transitional period."

According to the UN diplomat, the representatives "demanded that the will of the 2.8 million Libyans who registered to vote must not be usurped."

"I also stressed the need for determined efforts to push forward on national reconciliation and transitional justice," she said.

Libya’s presidential elections were scheduled to take place on Dec. 24 under a UN roadmap, but the country’s election commission proposed a 1-month delay, citing inadequacies in electoral legislation and appeals related to candidates’ eligibility.

The House of Representatives, for its part, proposed a six-month postponement of the vote.

Libyan rival parties have been in disagreement over the voting timetable for the presidential and parliamentary elections to be held simultaneously or one after the other.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of Libyans hope that the upcoming elections will contribute to ending armed conflict that has plagued the oil-rich country for years.

*Writing by Bassel Barakat in Ankara