Dr. Miral Sabry AlAshry
Abdoulaye Bathily, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), met with the Deputy Head of the Presidential Council, Abdallah Al-Lafi, to discuss the progress of the national reconciliation process and exchange views on the political challenges related to enabling electoral laws. Libyans are eager to put an end to successive interim arrangements and establish an elected and legitimate leadership.
Now more than ever, Libya needs to overcome the current institutional fragmentation and work towards an inclusive political agreement that would pave the way for peaceful and transparent elections throughout the country. All Libyan leaders have agreed to amend the draft laws, urging the country’s two chambers to finalize and implement electoral laws within a reasonable timeframe. The citizens long for unified political, military, security, and economic institutions that can safeguard the territorial integrity and national identity of the country.
To achieve these goals, it is crucial to work with the country’s stakeholders and focus on three main objectives. First, it is important to convince Libya’s House of Representatives and the High State Council to consider proposals from the High National Election Commission, addressing any legal loopholes and technical shortcomings in the draft electoral rules.
Additionally, exploring the possibility of convening a meeting of key actors to reach a political agreement on four contested issues outlined in the last briefing is essential. Second, written proposals should be developed to address the technical flaws and contested aspects of the draft electoral laws, aiming for their amendment and urging the two chambers to finalize and implement them within a reasonable electoral timeline.
During this period, Libya showed little interest in developing election laws. However, the Misrata Sea Port Customs Center intercepted a ship that had entered the port because it had passed through the port of Haifa, which is occupied by the Zionist entity in Palestine. The ship had come from Turkey before passing through the port of Haifa.
The Misrata Port Customs Center took all necessary legal measures regarding the ship, in preparation for blacklisting it. This was done for violating the principles of boycotting the Zionist enemy, in accordance with Article 203 of Customs Law No. 10 of 2010 and Law No. 62 of 1967 regarding the boycott of Israel. According to Article 1, the Italian company mentioned below will be removed from the blacklist and its products will be allowed to enter and be imported into Libya, provided that sufficient guarantees are provided. The Italian company is Cotoneficio Busted Milano, located at Via Romagnosail, Italy.
During this period, Libya showed no interest in developing election laws. However, the Misrata Sea Port Customs Center halted a ship that had entered the port because it had passed through the occupied port of Haifa in Palestine, which is controlled by the Zionist entity. The ship had come from Turkey before passing through Haifa. The Misrata Port Customs Center took all necessary measures to address the ship’s legality and prepare for its blacklisting.
This was done in accordance with Article 203 of Customs Law No. 10 of 2010 and Law No. 62 of 1967, which pertain to boycotting Israel. As stated in Article 1, the Italian company mentioned below, Cotoneficio Busted Milano located at Via Romognosail, Italy, will be removed from the blacklist. Consequently, its products will be allowed to enter and be imported into Libya upon providing the necessary guarantees.
It is important to note that the House of Representatives has passed a law that criminalizes any form of dealing with Israel. Additionally, the country had previously requested Western country ambassadors to leave.
Due to their countries’ support for the Israeli occupation government’s aggression against the Gaza Strip, they decided to amend the law that criminalizes normalization with Israel. They aimed to increase the penalties outlined in Law No. 62, which was issued in 1957 and already criminalized normalization with Israel.
On April 1, 2002, Libyan leader Gaddafi delivered a speech calling for a Pan-Arab war against the existence of the state of Israel. He claimed that “thousands of Libyans are ready to defend the Palestinian people.” In this speech, Gaddafi expressed his refusal to recognize Israel as a state. He stated that Libya would only acknowledge a Palestinian state that extended from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
In 2007, Israeli President Shimon Peres reportedly showed interest in having Gaddafi mediate peace talks with the Palestinians in Jordan. Then, in 2011, Saif al-Gaddafi conducted talks on behalf of Libya with Israeli minister Ayoob Kara. The discussions involved Libyan recognition of Israel, assistance in securing the release of Gilad Shalit from Hamas custody, and a potential visit by Gaddafi to Israel.
Bathily mentioned that the Derna disaster demonstrated a spontaneous unity between Libyan political and military factions. However, it also highlighted serious governance issues, as there is currently competition to lead Derna’s reconstruction effort. Bathily welcomed the discussion of election laws by Parliament (House of Representatives) on October 5th but noted that amendments are still needed for them to be effectively implemented. Additionally, tensions persist among armed groups based in Tripoli, and attacks on civic space continue.
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Prof. Miral Sabry AlAshry is Co-lead for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at the Centre for Freedom of the Media, the Department of Journalism Studies at the University of Sheffield.
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