Libyan election vow must be honoured ‘at all costs’: UN

GENEVA: Libyan delegates gathered in Geneva on Monday to choose new temporary leaders for the war-scarred country, with the UN stressing the importance of respecting their commitment to hold elections next December.

The 75 participants at the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum have until Friday to select a prime minister and a three-member presidency council from a list of 45 candidates.The new leadership will then be tasked with guiding the oil-rich and conflict-ravaged North African country until elections scheduled for December 24. By picking that date, “you have put an indelible mark on the calendar,” acting UN envoy Stephanie Williams told the delegates.

“This decision was greeted with the overwhelming approval by your compatriots, and it is a commitment that must be honoured at all costs,” she said. “The Libyan people are behind you. They support you and they want you to succeed. They need you to succeed. Don’t let them down.”

Libya has been torn by civil war since a Nato-backed uprising led to the ouster and killing of long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. The country is now split between the Tripoli-based government of National Accord (GNA) and its rival, the eastern-based House of Representatives backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

A fragile ceasefire agreed in Geneva last October has largely held despite threats by Haftar to resume fighting. The list of candidates unveiled Saturday by the UN includes 21 names for the position of prime minister and 24 for the presidency council. Williams stressed Monday that the temporary leaders should strive towards national reconciliation and the restoration of democracy.

“This project is not about power sharing or dividing the cake,” she said.“Rather it is to form a temporary government composed of patriots who agree to shoulder and to share the responsibility to put Libyan sovereignty and the security, prosperity and the welfare of the Libyan people above narrow interests.”

After her introduction, the candidates began presenting themselves to the delegates via video link. The list of candidates, including three women, was approved in political talks held in November between the 75 delegates selected by the UN to represent a broad cross section of Libyan society.