The head of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Al-Menfi, stated on Saturday that everyone is working hard to ensure the success of the upcoming presidential and legislative elections. This remark was made during the opening ceremony of the Libyan National Youth Conference. Al-Menfi confirmed that efforts will be made to ensure the elections are free and fair, reflecting the genuine will of the Libyan people and meeting all the criteria of the democratic process.
During the conference, the council president acknowledged the magnitude of the difficulties and dangers facing Libya, warning against a return to the old conflicts that the Libyan people have suffered from. In this context, Libyan Colonel Mohamed Faraj Othman noted that the only opportunity to save Libya is the successful execution of the parliamentary and presidential elections, allowing Libyans to rebuild state institutions and their apparatuses once again.
The Libyan military analyst emphasized in his statements to "Sky News Arabia" that returning to square one is currently the greatest danger, which is rejected by international powers, including Europe and the United States.
"Everyone is striving for the same goal, which is to hold the elections," said Libyan researcher Mohamed Al-Halawi. Inside Libya, the High National Election Commission has issued more than 2.8 million ballot cards at polling stations to deliver them to registered voters, with November 28 set as the last date for handing out the ballot cards. He continued, stating, "The Commission has also successfully distributed nearly 2 million ballot cards so far, in addition to working to secure polling places and attempting to present the first electoral entitlement to the people in a democratic form that establishes stability."
Al-Halawi praised the training courses launched by the Commission, noting that these training rounds will involve training around 40,000 staff as part of the Commission's preparations for the electoral requirements. The Libyan researcher emphasized that the Commission is working hard and is capable of overcoming technical obstacles, but the political hindrances are beyond its control as it operates within an unstable political environment.
On the external front, international powers are strongly pushing for the success of the scheduled electoral entitlement in Libya next month. Here, military analyst Mohamed Faraj Othman confirmed that the recent Security Council session affirms the international direction towards punishing anyone obstructing the electoral process. He added that imposing sanctions on the obstructors will come from Washington before Europe, which has exacerbated the situation in Libya due to conflicting interests on the continent.
Regarding the French-Italian cooperation agreement, Othman stated that it primarily relates to the Libyan crisis, where the rivalry between Italy and France on this issue has exacerbated the situation. Europe has failed to resolve the crisis over the past decade, except for Germany, which succeeded in bringing the rivals together under the umbrella of Berlin Conference 1, Berlin 2, followed by the Paris Conference.
The military analyst stressed the importance of conducting the electoral process and working to ensure its success because its goal is not merely the transfer of power, but a life-or-death process to unify state institutions, which will reflect on the economy, investment, and state-building.
Libyans have high hopes for these elections to restore stability to their country after more than a decade of turmoil, but some fear a setback that could return the situation to square zero.
