Tripoli 23 November 2023 – Following intensive consultations with a broad range of Libyan stakeholders as part of his efforts to advance the political process, the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, Abdoulaye Bathily, has extended invitations to key Libyan institutional stakeholders to attend a meeting in the coming period to reach a settlement on the politically contested issues pertaining to the implementation of the electoral process. To this end, the SRSG has requested the institutional stakeholders to designate representatives to participate in a preparatory meeting.

At this preparatory meeting, the designated representatives of the Presidential Council, House of Representatives,  High Council of State, Government of National Unity and the General Command of the Libyan National Army will discuss the date, venue, and agenda of the meeting of their Principals. They will also identify the outstanding issues that need to be resolved to enable the High National Elections Commission to commence the implementation of the electoral laws issued by the House of Representatives (HoR).

“For the first time since elections failed to proceed on 24 December 2021, Libya now has in place a constitutional and legal framework for the elections,” said SRSG Bathily, calling on the major actors “to move, in good faith, to the next stage in order to achieve our shared goal to deliver free, transparent and inclusive elections for the Libyan people.”

The SRSG’s invitation is in line with Security Council Resolution 2702 (2023), which takes note of the electoral laws adopted by the HoR; reiterates the Council’s support to the Special Representative’s mediation and good offices to further an inclusive Libyan-led Libyan-owned political process; and calls on “all stakeholders to redouble efforts to resolve the outstanding political issues through UN-facilitated dialogue, and in a spirit of compromise.” The resolution also calls upon the international community "to fully support SRSG Bathily and UNSMIL in the implementation of their mandate."

To ensure that the political process remains inclusive, SRSG Bathily will, in parallel, conduct focused consultations with a wider spectrum of Libyan stakeholders so that their proposals on how to resolve the outstanding issues and enable elections are taken into account by the institutional stakeholders in their negotiations. These stakeholders include political parties, military and security actors, elders and notables, cultural and linguistic components, academics, youth, women and civil society.

SRSG Bathily calls on stakeholders to show their full commitment to achieving national unity, peace and security in Libya, by engaging positively with his efforts to break the political deadlock.