Libya elite must end ‘musical chairs’ and focus on elections

Libya’s political class should stop conducting musical chairs to stay in power and focus instead on preparing for nationwide elections to be held by June, the special adviser to the UN secretary general has said.

Stephanie Williams also warned of a possible resurgence of the Islamic State (Isis) terror group if Libya were to fall back into total division.

Libya failed to hold elections for a president and parliament on December 24th partly due to rows over the eligibility of three controversial candidates, but also due to a wider fear that armed militia across the country would not accept the result if their candidate lost.

In the ensuing month, divisions have worsened, as Libya’s parliament, the House of Representatives (HoR), prepares to install a government to rival the UN-recognised Government of National Unity (GNU). The HoR says the GNU’s mandate expired on December 24th.

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‘Power and money’

Ms Williams told the Guardian in an interview: "My fear is that some people may now manoeuvre for a prolonged period of delay. The HoR exists off a mandate that it was given in elections 3,700 days ago. It has been seven years, seven months since Libya went to the national polls. The other chamber, the High State Council, was elected 10 years ago. Their shelf life has long expired. This is ultimately a struggle over assets, power and money. That is quite a motive to hang on.

“I want the HoR as quickly as possible to set out a credible political process that answers the question that almost three million Libyans have asked, which is: what has become of our elections? It is entirely possible for the HoR to put elections back on track, and for an electoral event to happen by June.

“Instead they have turned their attention to the musical chairs game, and the formation of a new government to replace the GNU. Before discussing a new government whose mandate would be unknown, the HoR should set an election date.”

Ms Williams said: “There is a thirst for elections – nearly 2.5 million collected their voting cards and in the city of Benghazi alone 800 people came forward to stand in the parliament. There is another new generation of Libyans that want to exercise their political rights.”

Political vacuum

She said she was ready to sit down immediately with the two chambers to hammer out a constitutional basis for the elections.

Ms Williams warned the possible formation of two governments in the country could be dangerous. The power vacuum last week led to the re-emergence of Isis in the south of the country, and an attempt on the life of the minister for justice.

The elections set for December 24th never happened partly due to conflicting rulings by Libyan courts on the eligibility of three candidates – Gen Khalifa Haftar, the head of the Libyan National Army; Saif al-Islam Gadafy, the son of the former Libyan dictator; and Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, the head of the GNU. The international criminal court is inquiring into the first two while Mr Dbeibah set aside a pledge that he would not stand in the elections, a precondition that had been set for anyone running the interim government.– Guardian