The President of the Libyan Presidential Council announced on Thursday that he will hold an international conference in October to rally support for the country’s stability, warning that it faces "real challenges" that could undermine the elections scheduled for December.
Mohamed Oakley stated in a speech at the annual United Nations meeting of world leaders in New York that the conference aims to ensure "unified and consistent" international support and to restore a sense of Libyan leadership and ownership of the country’s future. Oakley warned of risks that could shake stability: "We are facing real challenges and accelerating developments that compel us, from a position of responsibility, to consider more realistic and practical options that prevent us from the dangers of a deadlock in the political process that could undermine the electoral entitlement we aspire to and take us back to square one."
He added, "Our call for a meeting of the stakeholders, represented by political and military leaders, is based on reaching effective guarantees to maintain the political process and conduct safe, transparent, and acceptable elections." He emphasized that Libya is "witnessing a pivotal and fateful stage; either success towards democratic transition and stability or failure and a return to division," stressing the importance of conducting elections on schedule.
The upcoming general elections set for December 24 have been promoted as a means to escape the decade-long crisis in the country, but they have been overshadowed by bitter discussions about legitimacy that could lead to the collapse of longstanding peace efforts.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stated to reporters in New York on Monday that France, Germany, and Italy will participate in hosting an international conference on Libya on November 12 to ensure adherence to the election schedule.
Libya has been divided between rival eastern and western factions since 2014, with a UN-recognized government in Tripoli and a competing administration backed by the House of Representatives in the east. The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, a council selected by the UN that set out a roadmap for peace in Libya, authorized the conduct of elections on December 24 by forming a unity government and holding nationwide voting.
Until the elections are held, the forum appointed a Presidential Council consisting of three individuals led by Oakley and designated Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh as Prime Minister of the interim government. Regarding the presence of foreign elements in Libya, Oakley stated: "The issue of removing foreign troops and mercenaries from the country remains a real challenge. We call on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities in removing the mercenaries as it is one of the major challenges that contributes to conducting the elections."
In a previous development related to the elections, the Libyan House of Representatives announced on Thursday that its leadership calls upon all members for an official session on Monday to discuss the draft law for the election of the House of Representatives. The statement did not provide further details.
On Thursday, the Libyan Parliament and the Government of National Unity agreed on the necessity of successfully conducting the general elections scheduled for three months ahead, despite the parliamentary decision to withdraw confidence from the government. This took place during a meeting between Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and the first deputy president of the parliament, Fawzi Nuwaire, at the Prime Minister's office in the capital, Tripoli, where they discussed the issues of elections and national reconciliation.
