Libya:, Uncertainty Over President Election

Uncertainty looms in Libya with regards to the holding of Presidential election. December 24, 2021 had been set by International Community in accordance with the warring factions for Libyans to choose a new leader eleven years after the brutal killing of President Muammar Kadhafi in 2011. But from all indications, the elections would not hold due to the legitimacy of some major candidates and the election’s legal basis.

For more than a year now, Libya has been hurtling toward a long-awaited presidential election scheduled on the day of the 70th Anniversary of the country’s independence. On Tuesday, evening the High National Electoral Commission (HNEC) ordered the dissolution of the electoral committees in Libya. Shortly after, the UN Support Mission in Libya issued a statement on the unfolding security situation in Tripoli. “The current mobilization of forces affiliated with different groups creates tension and increases the risk of clashes that could spiral into conflict,” the statement read.

A delay poses the risk that the country might descend into the fragmentation and violence that have marked the country for more than a decade. Though no one has formally announced a change in plans, government officials, diplomats and Libyan voters alike are of the opinion that voting on Friday would be impossible, and asking when a vote might take place.

After several c...