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Macron hosts Libyan factions in Paris in push to secure elections Libyan factions agree to hold elections on 10 December
(about 1 hour later)
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is to take a calculated risk by bringing Libyan factions together in Paris and having them commit to elections this year, in an attempt to end the chaos that has exacerbated the refugee crisis and caused economic misery for Libyans. The four key leaders in war-torn Libya have agreed at a summit in Paris to an ambitious, and potentially unrealistic, plan to stage “credible, peaceful” parliamentary and legislative elections in the country on 10 December.
Macron has invited Fayez al-Sarraj, the prime minister of the UN-recognised government, and Khalifa Haftar, the military leader who dominates in the east of the country, to the French capital on Tuesday in a move that has been denounced by some factions as colonial interference. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, the summit’s host, hailed the agreement as a turning point in efforts to bring about reconciliation in Libya, saying it represented a new impetus to restore Libya’s sovereignty. “We now have clear commitments for the country, an approved calendar for parliamentary and presidential elections,” he said.
The two leaders, along with two other key figures in Libyan politics, will commit to holding presidential and parliamentary elections this year. But there is a dispute as to whether such elections can be held before an agreement is reached on a new constitution – a matter about which there has been a negotiating deadlock for two years. The UN’s efforts to secure a deal ground to a halt a month ago. The parties also agreed that by 16 September they would establish the constitutional basis for elections and adopt the necessary electoral laws.
The 13-point accord expected to be agreed at the Paris summit will also seek a commitment to reform and unify the Libyan central bank, the body that collects the country’s growing oil revenues. The key passage reads: “We pledge … to work constructively with the United Nations to hold credible and peaceful elections on December 10 and to respect the results of the elections.”
Representatives of 20 countries, including the leaders of at least five African nations, will witness the signing of a document committing to elections and to the imposition of sanctions if any signatory stands in the way of their occurrence. The statement is endorsed, but not signed, by Fayez al-Sarraj, the prime minister of Libya’s UN-backed government in Tripoli; the military leader of the east of the country, Khalifa Haftar; the president of the house of representatives, Aguila Saleh; and the head of the council of state, Khaled al-Mishri.
The two leaders of the rival Libyan parliamentary assemblies – the speaker of the house of representatives, Aguila Saleh Issa, and the Tripoli-based head of the high council of state, Khaled al-Mishri – are also attending. There had been a dispute about whether the presidential elections could go ahead without prior agreement between the factions on the basics of a constitution. The two chief factions based in the east and west of the country have been unable to agree a constitution for two years, but the election of a new national leadership could cut through these disagreements.
Various military factions in the west of Libya have either been excluded or decided to boycott the event, claiming France – alarmed by how much damage the Libyan political impasse can wreak in Europe – is biased towards quick elections that will benefit Haftar. No fewer than 24 organisations including five African heads of state attended the summit, in a sign of how badly the Libyan civil war has damaged the African continent and southern Europe.
Crisis Group, a thinktank that closely follows Libya, said the summit was risky and audacious. In a special report it said: “Reaching an accord could generate a brief moment of enthusiasm but risks being followed by recriminations when signatories – facing opposition by some of their allies back home – renege on their pledges. French organisers should avoid imposing too rigid a framework.” Speaking at a press conference following the agreement, Macron said he was not naive and there remained a risk of terrorists disrupting the elections. Twelve people were killed in an Islamic State attack on the headquarters of the Electoral Commission in Tripoli on 2 May.
Macron summoned Haftar and Serraj to a similar summit a year ago, but the French officials say it is now clear Libyans want to hold presidential and parliamentary elections. The accord provides for extra time for voter registration to be completed. But Macron said it had been the first time the entire international community with an interest in Libya had come together to endorse this process of reconciliation. He said there was Libyan will to move to elections that justified pushing the timetable forward.
Broadly, the French, Emiratis and Egyptians are content for the elections to be held before a new constitution is agreed, but other key players such as Italy disagree, questioning how a country can elect a president if the office holder’s powers are not defined. Ghassan Salamé, the UN special envoy for Libya, admitted there remained huge work to be done, and he called for a ceasefire among all the groups to allow the preparations for the elections, saying “enough blood has been spilled” .
Haftar’s commitment to democracy has been questioned by his critics, and in the run-up to the conference his Egyptian-backed force, the Libyan National Army, was making gains at the gates of Derna, a key coastal town held by Islamists. The agreement states Libyan security forces “will be in charge of guaranteeing the electoral process”, with “appropriate support” from the UN, regional organisations and the international community.
Those responsible for any obstruction of the electoral process will have to “render an account”, the accord adds, without specifying what if any sanctions could incur.
In order to “improve the climate for national elections”, the Tobruk-based house of representatives close to Haftar will have to relocate to Tripoli and the parallel government established in the eastern part of the country will eventually have to be dismantled.
The two houses must “immediately work to unify the central bank of Libya and other institutions”, they agreed. The agreement also proposes a national inclusive conference, but no timetable was set.
In the medium term, the military and security forces, divided into multiple militias besides the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) of Haftar, will also have to be unified under the auspices of the UN.
Haftar’s commitment to democracy has been questioned by his critics, and in the run-up to the conference the LNA was making gains at the gates of Derna, a key coastal town held by Islamists.
Haftar has presented himself to the west as a strongman who can bring order to the country and end the crisis that has led to more than 400,000 Africans being trafficked through Libya to reach Italy by boat.Haftar has presented himself to the west as a strongman who can bring order to the country and end the crisis that has led to more than 400,000 Africans being trafficked through Libya to reach Italy by boat.
The advance of populist parties in Italy has largely been put down to the Italian public’s anger at the failure to control the flow of African refugees and migrants. The advance of populist parties in Italy has largely been put down to the Italian public’s anger at the failure to control the flow of African refugees and migrants. Although the number of arrivals has slowed dramatically over the past year, more than 11,000 migrants have been registered in Italy so far in 2018 after being picked up in the Mediterranean. The figure is more than 75% down on the same point in 2017.
Although the number of arrivals has slowed dramatically over the past year, more than 11,000 migrants have been registered in Italy so far in 2018 after being picked up in the Mediterranean. The figure is more than 75% down on the same point in 2017.
The scale of the public opposition appears to have caught pro-European Italians by surprise. Reflecting on the recent Italian elections, Emma Bonino, a former Italian minister, told a Paris seminar on Monday: “We knew there was a wave of scepticism, nationalism and racism that could come in but we did not know it would be a tsunami.”The scale of the public opposition appears to have caught pro-European Italians by surprise. Reflecting on the recent Italian elections, Emma Bonino, a former Italian minister, told a Paris seminar on Monday: “We knew there was a wave of scepticism, nationalism and racism that could come in but we did not know it would be a tsunami.”
But there are fears that the pressure to find a solution will result in corners being cut. Speaking before the summit, Human Rights Watch France said: “The international community, but most of all Libyans, need to hear Libyan leaders pledge significant improvements to the rule of law, justice and accountability – including for their own abusive forces – before organising elections.”
It said Libyan authorities should pledge to ensure candidates could campaign freely without undue risk of attack; set up an independent audit of the voter registry; secure polling places in areas under their control; and ensure there is sufficient court security to allow adjudication of disputes.
Human Rights Watch said the current legal framework for holding elections remained opaque.
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