UN Threatens Sanctions Against Libya Election Spoilers
The U.N. Security Council has threatened to impose sanctions against those wanting to scupper Libya's presidential and parliamentary elections that is scheduled for December 24, 2021.
The council also called on all Libyan stakeholders to respect the results of the vote and to work together "in the spirit of unity and compromise" afterward, for a peaceful transfer of power.
In addition, council members issued a united call for countries to respect the arms embargo imposed against Libya and for all foreign fighters and mercenaries to leave the country immediately. Instability, fighting and foreign interference have proliferated in Libya since the ouster and killing of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Libya will hold elections 70 years to the day, since independence was declared in 1951. The head of the High National Election Commission said that 98 people had registered by the deadline for the presidential elections. The list includes two women hopefuls, as well as a commander of an eastern-based militia that tried to seize the capital, Tripoli, in 2019. Saif Gaddafi - the son of the late Muammar Gaddafi - was also on the list but has been declared ineligible.
On November 23, 2021 it was also announced that the U.N.'s top diplomat to Libya, Jan Kubis, is stepping down. Kubis addressed his abrupt departure after less than a year in the post, in what was likely his final briefing to the council, via a video call from Tripoli.
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Libya:
UN Security Council Threatens Sanctions Against Libya Election Spoilers
VOA, 24 November 2021
The U.N. Security Council threatened sanctions Wednesday against spoilers in Libya's presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 24. Read more »
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Libya:
Libya At 'Delicate and Critical Juncture' Ahead of Landmark Elections - UN Envoy
UN News, 24 November 2021
With one month left until elections in Libya, it is important that the international community remains united in support of the process, UN Special Envoy Ján Kubiš… Read more »
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Libya:
Libya's Eastern Commander Haftar Announces Election Bid
Tunis Afrique Presse, 16 November 2021
Eastern commander Khalifa Haftar will run in Libya's presidential elections due next month, he announced in a televised speech on Tuesday. Read more »
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Egypt:
Sisi - Egypt's Primary Goal Is to Achieve Peace, Security in Libya
Egypt Online, 23 November 2021
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said Egypt's primary goal is to "achieve peace and security for brothers in Libya, as well as to activate the free will of its people". Read more »
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Libya:
Seif Al-Islam Gaddafi Deemed Ineligible for Presidency Race
DW, 25 November 2021
Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi son's hopes of running for president are dashed, as the country's electoral commission disqualifies him. Read more »
InFocus
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Rival factions in Libya launched a last-ditch attempt on October 21, 2021 to shore up support for their efforts to hold democratic elections in December. At an international ... Read more »
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Leaders from several countries gathered in Paris on November 12 for a conference on Libya and threatened sanctions against those they termed "spoilers" of scheduled December 24 ... Read more »
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In an address to the meeting of Libya's neighbours, hosted by Algeria on August 30 to 31, 2021, Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Othman Jerandi ... Read more »
Tripoli's central business district in 2012.