PARIS, Nov 12 (Arab News): As political wrangling threatens to derail Libya's proposed election, international powers see little choice but to start the vote as planned on Dec. 24 despite the risk of unravelling a year-long peace process.
Despite the lack of any agreement six weeks before the election on rules governing the vote or who can run, major states preparing to meet on Friday believe there is momentum behind the poll, diplomats say.
Western states are preparing to strengthen international backing for the election at a conference in Paris on Friday and want agreement on warning any potential spoilers that they could face sanctions.
Libya's election was set through a UN-backed roadmap adopted last year that also established an interim unity government to take over from rival administrations in east and west that had been warring for years.
The peace process is seen as a chance to end the decade of instability and warfare triggered by the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi and has since drawn in regional powers in a threat to wider Mediterranean stability.
However, with no clear agreement on the legal basis for the election, major factions may reject the vote, and analysts warn that even those who take part may seek to use any ambiguities or disputes to justify subsequent grabs for power. "A postponement in itself is not less dangerous than maintaining the Dec. 24 date regardless of the risks. It all depends on how things are negotiated," Jalel Harchaoui of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Crime said.
Libyan political impasse threatens election
FE Team | Published: November 12, 2021 21:45:59
Libyan political impasse threatens election
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