UN envoy, Haftar agree on need to finalize draft electoral laws

TRIPOLI

UN envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily met Monday with eastern Libya-based strongman Khalifa Haftar to prepare the conditions for elections in the country.

“I met with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar today in Benghazi. We agreed on the need to finalize the draft electoral laws by the 6+6 committee and create conducive conditions for inclusive national elections in #Libya,” Bathily said on X, formerly known as Twitter, sharing photos from the meeting.

The latest political developments in the country were also discussed during the meeting, according to a statement by Haftar's forces.

On Sunday, Bathily met with the chairman of Libya’s High National Election Commission (HNEC), Emad al-Sayeh, and the leader of the Libyan Supreme Council of State, Mohamed Takala.

Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011, when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.

The situation has worsened since last March, when the East Libya-based parliament appointed a new government led by former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha. But Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, one of the two figures claiming power and authority in Libya, insists he will cede authority only to a government that comes through an "elected parliament," raising fears that Libya could slip back into a civil war.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar