UN Envoy Proposes Initiative on Libyan Elections

The UN envoy to Libya, Abdullah Batili, announced today, Friday, that if Libya's legislative bodies fail to reach an agreement on election laws in a timely manner, "we will consider alternative procedures that we can take," noting that he will not accept any moves to obstruct the conduct of elections. Batili is seeking to break the internal stalemate in Libya by holding elections this year to end the long-standing mandate of the transitional political bodies. Last month, Batili announced a new initiative to accelerate the political process, prompting the two legislative bodies, the House of Representatives and the High Council of State, to form a committee to consider election laws. Many Libyans doubt that the two legislative bodies are negotiating in good faith after years of unbroken talks and transitional arrangements that have allowed them to continuously hold positions of power.