The head of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Abdoulaye Bathily received the delegation of the 6+6 committee to discuss the implementation of legislative framework ahead of the planned election in Libya.
Bathily welcomed the committee at the mission’s headquarters in Tripoli.
They discussed the roles and responsibilities of the 6+6 committee in issuing necessary laws that will guide the conduct of an inclusive elections in Libya.
The 6+6 Committee was formed by the Libya’s House of Representatives (HoR) and the High Council of State (HCS) with the mandate to establish electoral laws under the country’s Constitutional Amendment 13.
Presidential election had been halted in Libya after it was originally planned to hold on December 10, 2018. It was later rescheduled to hold on 24 December 2021 but Libya’s High National Election Commission (HNEC) announced an indefinite postponement of the election.
The chairman of HNEC also ordered that the electoral committees for the election be dissolved.
The reoccurring postponement of Libya’s election led to the formation of the 6+6 Joint Electoral Committee. The UNSMIL pledged readiness to provide the necessary support for the committee.
Bathily who also doubles as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, stated that the UN’s mission is committed to providing all support that will assist the committee in completing its task.
The 6+6 committee and UN”s Representative shared their views on how to develop and implement a legislative framework for the elections.
Earlier, Bathily had shared similar views of conducting an inclusive elections in Libya when he met with the President of High Council of State (HCS), Khaled Meshri.
The UN envoy highlighted the need for HCS President to support the 6+6 committee in achieving its mandate. In a bid to meet the aspirations of the Libyan, Bathily and HCS President agreed that the committee needs to speed-up its work.
In a similar development, Bathily had a phone call with Libya’s House of Representatives Speaker, Agila Saleh, where they both reviewed the political developments in the country.
The HoR agreed that the 6+6 committee needs to accelerate the process of producing a legal framework that will help Libya hold free and fair elections.
Meanwhile, with the series of meetings, UNSMIL has reiterated its commitment to the 6+6 committee in preparation for the 2023 Presidential election in Libya.
In Libya , a president is elected through two-round system for a five-year term.