The United Nations will meet with a committee of Libyan experts to address the country’s elections that have been stalled since December 2021, the head of the UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Stephanie Koury, said in a video statement on Sunday.
The new committee of Libyan experts will attempt to resolve contentious issues hindering the country’s electoral process, which collapsed after a UN-backed process in 2021 installed Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah as Prime Minister of Libya, Reuters reported.
Although the parliament no longer recognizes al-Dbeibah’s as PM, he has pledged not to give up his seat without national elections.
The new UN committee will look for options to “hold elections within the shortest possible time, including proposing guarantees, assurances, and a timeframe,” Koury said in a video statement.
After Libya’s 2011 NATO-backed uprising, the country has been fractured among eastern and western factions since 2014, mainly the House of Representatives (HoR) and the Government of National Accord (GNA) that ruled for six years from 2014 to 2020.
Even though all of the country’s key political figures have called for elections on numerous occasions, many Libyans have expressed doubt that they want a ballot that would remove the majority of them from power.
“UNSMIL will also continue to work to help unify military and security institutions and, with partners, advance national reconciliation,” Koury said.