Libyans end talks with Morocco without sign of electoral law deal

Two rival Libyan factions concluded a meeting in Morocco without any sign of agreeing on a contested electoral law, ahead of elections scheduled for December 24.

However, they jointly appealed for international support for the political process in this oil-rich North African country after years of turmoil.

Representatives of the upper house, based in Tripoli in western Libya, held two days of talks in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, with the Libyan parliament, headquartered in the eastern city of Tobruk.

“We call on the international community to support the electoral process in Libya (…) and to send international observers to ensure the smooth running of this important event,” El Hadi Ali Elsaghir, MP, said on Friday.

Libya experienced a decade of war after its 2011 NATO-backed revolt that overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi, leaving the country divided between rival administrations backed by foreign powers and a myriad of militias.

Hopes for stability followed a United Nations-led peace process and ceasefire in October last year.

A Western Unity Government took office in March with a mandate to prepare for the December elections, but negotiations over the relevant legislation have raised doubts about the UN-led poll process and plans.

Elsaghir made no mention of an agreement with his Western colleagues on an electoral law.

Germany and the United States are among the countries seeking to ensure the conduct of the legislative and presidential elections in December.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), which attended the talks in Morocco, urged the two delegations “to seize this opportunity and assume their historic responsibilities and move forward with the finalization of the framework. legislative elections “.

Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh ratified the legislation governing the presidential poll last month, but critics said he had bypassed due process to favor his ally, eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Parliament then adopted a motion of censure against the unity government of interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah.

The capital-based upper house rejected the vote, saying it violated established procedures, once again revealing the extent of the divisions between the east and west of the country.

In Morocco, however, the discussion took place “under conditions of understanding and consensus”, according to Elsaghir.

isb-hr-hme-agr / it / dwo / hc