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LIBYA. On Friday 12 November 2021 in Paris, the umpteenth international conference for Libya ended with two wishes from the participants. First, that the elections (presidential and legislative) take place on the scheduled dates. "We urge all Libyan actors and candidates to respect their commitments to hold elections on 24 December 2021, to publicly commit to respecting the rights of their political opponents before, during and after the elections, to accept the results of free, fair and inclusive elections, and to commit to the code of conduct prepared by the HNEC (High National Electoral Commission)", stated the final declaration of this meeting.
The heads of state and government present in the French capital then reaffirmed their support for the "Action Plan for the withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces from Libyan territory", defined by a Joint Military Commission a few weeks ago in the United Nations Security Council.
The next day, Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for the Turkish Presidency, replied that his country's military constituted "a force for stability to help the Libyan people". Ankara also expressed a reservation on the status of foreign forces by signing the document of the International Conference on Libya. As for Russia, it has again denied any link with the Wagner mercenary group.
The heads of state and government present in the French capital then reaffirmed their support for the "Action Plan for the withdrawal of mercenaries, foreign fighters and foreign forces from Libyan territory", defined by a Joint Military Commission a few weeks ago in the United Nations Security Council.
The next day, Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for the Turkish Presidency, replied that his country's military constituted "a force for stability to help the Libyan people". Ankara also expressed a reservation on the status of foreign forces by signing the document of the International Conference on Libya. As for Russia, it has again denied any link with the Wagner mercenary group.
A candidate wanted by the International Criminal Court
The event of the weekend in the Libyan theatre came rather from Saif Al-Islam. In Sebha, capital of the Fezzan region, in one of the only three HNEC offices able to validate it, the second son of Muammar Gaddafi officially filed his candidacy for the presidential election of December 24, 2021 on Sunday, November 14, 2021.
Invisible for years, after being interned in November 2011 by militias and then released in 2017, the forty-nine year old man intends to "restore the lost unity of Libya", as he indicated in July 2021 in an interview with the New York Times. His candidacy is therefore far from being a surprise. For several years, he has been talking about his desire to return to the political game.
Saif Al-Islam was sentenced to death in 2015 by the new authorities of his country during the regime change. He is still wanted, since 2011, by the International Criminal Court for "crimes against humanity".
The HNEC communicated on Sunday 14 November 2021 on the filing of the candidacies of Abdel Hakim Bayou (director of the company Al-Hamra affiliated to the Libyan Investment Authority) in Tripoli and therefore that of Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi in Sebha. They are, for the moment, the only two registered out of the seven expected. The other contenders only have until 22 November 2021 to register. Particularly expected are those of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strongman of the east of the country supported by the Tobruk parliament, and Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, the current interim prime minister since March 2021.
The December 24, 2021 elections - 2.83 million voter cards have been requested - would be the first in Libya's history. If they manage to be held on that date, as tensions remain high between east and west despite the ceasefire signed at the end of October 2020.
Read also (with the list of supposed candidates): Libyan National Electoral Commission opens candidacies
And : The (priority) tasks of the new Libyan executive and the (indelible) stains of the previous ones
Invisible for years, after being interned in November 2011 by militias and then released in 2017, the forty-nine year old man intends to "restore the lost unity of Libya", as he indicated in July 2021 in an interview with the New York Times. His candidacy is therefore far from being a surprise. For several years, he has been talking about his desire to return to the political game.
Saif Al-Islam was sentenced to death in 2015 by the new authorities of his country during the regime change. He is still wanted, since 2011, by the International Criminal Court for "crimes against humanity".
The HNEC communicated on Sunday 14 November 2021 on the filing of the candidacies of Abdel Hakim Bayou (director of the company Al-Hamra affiliated to the Libyan Investment Authority) in Tripoli and therefore that of Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi in Sebha. They are, for the moment, the only two registered out of the seven expected. The other contenders only have until 22 November 2021 to register. Particularly expected are those of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the strongman of the east of the country supported by the Tobruk parliament, and Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, the current interim prime minister since March 2021.
The December 24, 2021 elections - 2.83 million voter cards have been requested - would be the first in Libya's history. If they manage to be held on that date, as tensions remain high between east and west despite the ceasefire signed at the end of October 2020.
Read also (with the list of supposed candidates): Libyan National Electoral Commission opens candidacies
And : The (priority) tasks of the new Libyan executive and the (indelible) stains of the previous ones