Libya marks milestone as municipal elections open, surprising turnout, international community rejoices in praise

The municipal council elections across Libya's 58 localities 10 days ago marked an important milestone amid the political crisis in this North African country.

Libya marks a milestone as it holds municipal elections, with surprising turnout and international praise. (Source: Libya Observer)

On November 16, the Libyan Supreme National Electoral Commission (HNEC) successfully held the first phase of municipal council elections in 58 cities across the country. The HNEC plans to hold the second phase of local elections in January 2025.

According to the press monitoring organization Middle East Monitor , figures released by HENC show that 186,055 Libyans are registered to vote at 777 polling stations in 352 local election centers. There are 2,331 individuals registered to run for office. Women account for only 3% of the total number of candidates.

There were about 4,877 candidate representatives, about 1,300 local independent observers and 64 foreign observers monitoring the vote.

On November 24, at a press conference, HNEC announced the preliminary results of the above election.

HNEC Chairman Emad Al-Sayeh said that 77.2% of registered voters went to vote, which is a surprisingly high rate compared to previous elections and the highest rate recorded by HNEC so far.

Mr. Al-Sayeh affirmed that the HNEC’s implementation of the electoral process pursues the goal of achieving the highest internationally recognized standards and principles. The agency also maintains the principle of neutrality towards political parties, while always striving to maintain readiness for any political process.

In response to the above results, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) together with the US, UK, France, Italy and Germany issued a statement welcoming the results on November 25.

The Libya Observer online newspaper reported that UNSMIL congratulated HNEC, the country and the people of Libya for successfully organizing the municipal council elections, and appreciated the efforts of the Libyan state security agencies in ensuring a safe and peaceful environment for voters to cast their ballots.

In a statement, UNSMIL stressed: "The municipal council elections are an important opportunity for the Libyan people to exercise their right to choose their representatives and promote responsible governance. UNSMIL stands ready to support Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political and electoral processes to achieve legitimacy, lasting stability and meaningful progress for the country."

Meanwhile, the embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the UK and the US in Libya (Group 3+2) issued a joint statement expressing hope that, with this important result, the Libyan people and leaders will build a credible roadmap for successful national elections as part of a UN-backed political process.

The 3+2 Group also highlighted the essential contributions of UNSMIL and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in supporting this process.

Highlighting the need to seize this positive momentum towards the presidential and parliamentary elections, the 3+2 joint statement encouraged the Libyan people to use this milestone as a foundation to create a credible roadmap towards successful national elections.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/libya-danh-dau-moc-quan-trong-khi-mo-cu-hoi-dong-thanh-pho-ty-le-di-bo-phieu-dang-ngac-nhien-cong-dong-quoc-te-vui-mung-khen-ngoi-295133.html