UN’s Libya envoy announces new initiative for holding elections in 2023

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The UN envoy to Libya announced a new initiative Monday to enable the holding of presidential and legislative elections in 2023.

“Based on article 64 of the 2015 Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) and building on previously reached agreements among Libyan stakeholders, I have therefore decided to launch an initiative aimed at enabling the organization and holding of presidential and legislative elections in 2023,” Abdoulaye Bathily said during his address to the UN Security Council.

He said the plan is to establish a “High-Level Steering Panel” for Libya, adding the proposed mechanism will bring together “all relevant Libyan stakeholders, including representatives of political institutions, major political figures, tribal leaders, civil society organizations, security actors, women, and youth representatives.”

“In addition to the facilitation of the adoption of the legal framework and time-bound roadmap to the holding of elections in 2023, the proposed panel will also provide a platform to advance consensus around related matters such as election security and the adoption of a Code of Conduct for all candidates,” he said.

Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.

The situation has worsened since last year when the Libyan parliament appointed a new government led by former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha, but the head of the Tripoli-based government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, said he will cede authority only to a government that comes through an "elected parliament," raising fears that Libya could slip back into a civil war.