Local Libyan media reported on Saturday that the Libyan Presidential Council had decided to postpone the December 24 election, but council sources said the attempt to postpone was Abdullah al-Lafi’s personal diligence. Vice President Muhammad al-Manfi.

In a statement to al-Arabiya / al-Hadat on Saturday, the source added that al-Lafi would go out on Sunday at a press conference to clarify his initiative.

He pointed out that the election should be postponed for 3 months to ensure election victory.

This comes after the Libyan newspaper Al-Marzad reported that Presidential Council President Mohammed al-Manfi and his deputy Abdullah al-Lafi were preparing to announce an attempt to postpone the election to March 2022. A constitutional provision was not reached, and the head of Libya’s Supreme Council, Khalid al-Mashri, rejected the laws of parliament.

Evidence quoted by the newspaper indicated that the initiative was to be presented at the Libyan Stability Conference in Tripoli and that its presentation was postponed to the coming days.

United Nations: “Accept amendments”

The developments came on Saturday following a call by the UN Working Group of Representatives in the country to adopt the necessary amendments to the legal framework of the election process scheduled for next December 24.

Ahead of the next session of the House of Representatives, the UN said that only a comprehensive legal framework would pave the way for a comprehensive and credible electoral process. The mission confirmed in a statement.

“In a democratic way”

He emphasized the need to focus on the principle of simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections, the need to ensure the integrity of the electoral process and the credibility of the Libyan people in democratically electing their representatives and leaders. Accepting the election results.

The mission also called for the removal of restrictions on participation in elections to allow Libyans in public office the opportunity to suspend their duties from the time they applied for the presidency, as proposed by the High National Elections Commission.

It urged Libyan institutions to ensure the full, equal and meaningful participation of women and youth in elections and to make all necessary arrangements to protect voters and female candidates.

In addition, the UN Special Rapporteur on Libya, John Kubis, reported that the work continues to involve all Libyan parties involved in facilitating efforts aimed at building a framework for parliamentary and presidential elections in line with Libya’s political path and security. Council resolutions and widely accepted by the various Libyan parties involved are crucial to a successful election.

Free, fair and timely elections

It is noteworthy that the High Electoral Commission in Libya last week stressed the need to adhere to the holding of free and fair elections in a timely manner.

The head of the commission, Imad al-Sayyid, told a news conference at the time that the door to register candidates would be opened in mid-November, after completing logistics and legal arrangements.

He stressed that presidential candidates should collect 5,000 nominations and explained that the nomination forms for those interested are available on the Commission’s website.