Libya Postpones Its Presidential Election

On Wednesday, the Libyan High National Elections Commission (HNEC) announced a proposal to postpone the upcoming presidential elections to January.

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"The Commission proposes, in coordination with the House of Representatives, to postpone the first round of voting in the presidential election to Jan. 24, 2022, provided that the House of Representatives takes the necessary measures to lift the state of force majeure that obstructs the electoral process," the HNEC said.

Libyan electoral authorities also pointed out that their decision to disqualify some presidential candidates was correct, as those candidates didn't meet the presidential candidacy conditions.

Since the early morning on Tuesday, southern Tripoli has witnessed the military mobilization of armed groups, sparking fears of confrontations. The developments unfolded a few days before the presidential elections which face difficulty as the Elections Commission failed to publish the final list of candidates.

The Commission explained that the "current overlap between the political facts and the issued judicial rulings forced a state of force majeure on the announcement of the final list of presidential candidates."

Over 2.5 million Libyan voters have received their voter cards from the HNEC, and are expecting to cast their votes to choose a president. The Libyan parliamentary elections, originally planned to be held on the same day as the presidential poll, have been postponed to January 2022. 

The elections are part of a roadmap adopted by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum in February, with the aim to bring stability to Libya.