Libya readies to hold presidential elections; will open candidate registration in November

Amidst fear of bloodshed and internal conflicts, Libya is set to commence registration of candidates for the post of President from November. Meanwhile, the electoral roll will be set out this week for the presidential elections which will be held in two stages, The Guardian reported quoting Dr Emad al-Sayeh, head of the High National Elections (HNEC) as saying on Sunday.

The two-phase elections will be for a presidential run-off and elections to a Parliament, the Guardian reported. The first round of elections will be held on December 24 followed by the second stage, the date for which has not been announced yet. As per al-Sayah, the registration process will begin in mid-November once the technical and logistical preparations are on track. Adding further details, he said that each presidential candidate will require 5,000 nominations. Meanwhile, nominated position holders in the interim setup are alarmed by the elections stating that polls in a divided country could result in widespread violence and further deterioration of the current situation.

The risk of not holding elections are larger than holding them

Several leaders have backed Libya's presidential election dubbing it as the much-needed political solution at the time of crisis. "Yes there are risks to holding elections, but there are greater risks to not holding elections the final source of stability for the country will come from democratic legitimacy and a reset," Zara Linghi, a member of the UN Libyan Political Dialogue Forum told The Guardian. The holding of "free and fair" elections has also been deemed necessary by the UN envoy to Libya Ján Kubris. Noting the failing economy and harrowing humanitarian crisis, Kubris had said that holding the elections is "much more desirable than not" as the latter poses a great threat of escalated conflict.

It is to be noted that the foreign powers were forced to intervene in the internal affairs after the interim set-up appointed by a UN body in February aimed to circumvent Tripoli elections. Warning that aborting elections "cannot be allowed," Kubris in September noted that half a million new voters have registered to vote with the number going upwards, the UN press release stated. "Libyan authorities and leaders must not let them down," Kubris said. Meanwhile, a number of displacements have witnessed a fall and emphasised the primacy of a healthy economy, he pointed out. Also, the ceasefire will continue to hold and there has been some progress in implementing elements of the ceasefire agreement, mentioned the UN press release.

Image: AP (representative)