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French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian made the rounds of leading politicians in Libya on Monday to push for an election in December in a chaotic country since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2001. [19659002"InParisLibyanofficialshavepledgedtoholdpresidentialandlegislativeelectionsaccordingtoaspecifictimetablebytheendoftheyear"hesaidafteraninterviewwiththepresidentHeadoftheGovernmentofNationalUnity(GNA)Fayezal-SarrajTripoli"ThisiswhattheLibyancitizensaspiretoitisthewaytogoandIhavecometoremindthosewhohavetakenthesecommitmentsandthiscalendarandtosharethisapproachwiththosewhowerenotinParisonthe29thMay"saidtheFrenchMinisterofForeignAffairsSevenyearsaftertheWesternmilitaryinterventionLibyaremainsinastateofinstabilitywithtworivalpoliticalauthoritiestheTripoli-recognizedinternationalorganizationandaparallelcabinetintheeastsupportedbytheMarshalKhalifaHaftarJean-YvesLeDrianwenttothefiefofeachoftheprotagonistsoftheParisagreementInadditiontoMrSarrajandthePresidentoftheCouncilofState(upperhouse)Khlaledal-MechriinTripolihemetwithMarshalHaftarathisheadquartersinBenghazi(East)andtheSpeakeroftheHouseofRepresentativesAguilaSalahinTobruk(east)1200kmfromthecapital
The four leaders pledged to hold elections on December 10 and to reunite the country's institutions, starting with the central bank, guardian of the resources drawn from the oil.
"No worries"
The "Tobruk parliament" must first adopt a "constitutional basis", defining the powers of the president, and electoral laws by September 16, with a view referendum, on the basis of the draft proposed by the Constituent Assembly in July 2017. "I have heard the great determination of President Salah (…) I have no concern about his determination or the timing of the various deadlines to come ", assured the Minister in Tobruk. Jean-Yves Le Drian also made a stop in Misrata, a coastal town 200 kilometers east of Tripoli with some of the most powerful militias in the country and not associated with the Paris process. He met Mayor Mustafa Kerouad, local elected officials and parliamentarians. France "supports the efforts of all those" who work for elections, insisted Mr. Le Drian who made his third trip to Libya. He announced a French contribution of one million dollars (850,000 euros) for the organization of the polls. The French initiative raises suspicion of groups hostile to Khalifa Haftar, who believe that Paris is not "neutral" and supports the Marshal, perceived by France as a bulwark against terrorism with his "Libyan national army" self-proclaimed. "France supports all the Libyan forces fighting against terrorism everywhere on the territory (…) This fight we continue to lead it together," replied Le Drian who met in Tripoli military units against terrorism under control of the RNG
"Loss"
For lack of a structured central power, Libya has become a hub of migrant smuggling to Europe and remains a haven for jihadist groups, beginning with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in the south of the country. In an attempt to stabilize it, France is betting elections and playing its own score at the risk of turning other countries involved in Libya, Italy in the lead. Political actors and militias also continue to vie for control of the country, making any election uncertain. In late June, the two rival authorities fought a tussle over the control of oil terminals just taken by the men of the ANL to a local military leader.
Over the course of these twists, "there is a phenomenon of loss compared to the ambition displayed on May 29," said Jalel Harchaoui, a specialist in Libya. Militias who fear losing control of some resources may also be tempted to disrupt elections. The countries "godfathers" of the different forces – the United Arab Emirates and Egypt support Marshal Haftar, Qatar and Turkey some Islamist groups – also have their own agenda, as do Italy, the United States and Great Britain, sometimes competitors.
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